Beyond Memory Dance Videotapes at Risk A Copyright Primer for the Dance Community The DHC Digital Video Preservation Reformatting Project

BEYOND MEMORY: PRESERVING THE DOCUMENTS OF OUR DANCE HERITAGE

"Watch me." "Let me show you." "Not that way ... this way." From toe to toe, from hand to hand, from eye to eye, dance, more than any other of the performing arts, has been transmitted through time by human chains of dancers, choreographers, and others involved in its creation and performance. When those chains are broken, we resort to written accounts, prints, drawings, both still and moving pictures, notation systems, and most recently to videotape to try to reconstruct a dance or a specific performance. Today, as we lose to age and to AIDS many of those who have contributed to one of the great eras of dance, the need to better document the world of dance and to preserve that documentation in a systematic, safe and secure way becomes urgent. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to take advantage of new awareness, new technology, and new resources to lessen our dependence on the human chain of memory. You, whether you are a choreographer, dancer, designer, administrator, collector, or scholar, can be an important player in that effort.

WHAT ARE WE SAVING, WHAT HAVE WE LOST?

Vital documentation is often created for purposes other than to provide a permanent record of a work. In the course of creating dance, we generate all kinds of records. Demonstration videotapes are made for grantmakers and presenters. Rehearsal videotapes are recorded to assist the creative process. Programs are handed out at performances. Press photographs are taken. Costume and stage designs are drawn. The choreographer makes diagrams and notations and keeps notes. The stage manager records data on every performance in a notebook.

All of these activities provide information that can tell us a lot about many aspects of a work. But if the resulting materials are not taken care of, are mislabeled, or dispersed instead of being collected and given a secure home, knowledge of the dance will be lost.

Organizing and taking care of such material preserves a detailed record of how a group of people came together to make a dance, of the work that was created and performed, and of what both creators and viewers thought about it. Documentation should reflect all aspects of dance: the creative process, the funding and management, the performance or execution, the audience reaction, and reviews. It tells the who, what, when, where, and how of the production. It shows what worked and what went wrong. Such information should be permanently available to those who need to use it for creative, business, management, scholarly, or historic purposes.

This online publication is an introduction to planning for documentation and preservation of a dance, group or company, a tradition. Other sources that you might find helpful include Frames of Reference: A Resource Guide from the National Initiative to Preserve America's Dance, published by Dance/USA in 20001; Dance Archives: A Practical Manual for Documenting and Preserving the Ephemeral Art, published by Preserve, Inc. in 1995; and A Life in Dance, a publication of The Estate Project for Artists with AIDS. Also available online is Choreographing Your Search, which assists computer searching to locate records that have been created, preserved, and made accessible for use.

The entire dance field -- those who are creating new work and those who are trying to keep alive past work and traditions -- can make use of Beyond Memory. The information can apply both to theatrical dance forms and to community and tradition based forms. Although documentation strategies, materials and resources will vary, the basics of organization, preservation and access remain the same.

PART 1 DOCUMENTING A DANCE

CONSIDER YOUR PRESENT METHODS

Documentation can be videotape, oral history, notation, photographs, film, sketches, programs, reviews and more. The ways in which you document will vary, depending on the kind of dance, the performance space and community, and the availability of resources.

No matter what you are doing now, you are undoubtedly creating some elements of a documentary record. You may have tapes, sketches, scores, photographs, contracts, programs, and posters that document the creative process and record information about the work created. Preserving these materials in a systematic way should be an essential step in your dance activity. While it is not always possible to document everything fully, at the very least the documents that are created during the process should be preserved.

This first part of this online booklet offers suggestions on how to expand current documentary efforts and how to improve the quality and usefulness of the documents you create. Part 2 outlines steps you can take to get control of the materials you already generate.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS

While resources for creating a new dance work, and/or for sustaining current traditions or repertories may be scarce, the resources needed for better documentation may already be available in the routine of current operations. To determine how you can realistically expand documentation efforts as part of what you already do, you should:

Review and evaluate the documentation you are currently creating:

• Identify what types of archival materials you regularly generate.
• Think about how accurately and completely these materials reflect your work (in all its aspects).

Consider what more you might do with your existing resources to improve the quality or extent of your present documentation efforts:

• Include notes with information about the creation and performance of a dance in each program or handout. This will add to the permanent record for a work and also improve audience education and development. Include dates of premiere performances, with the year as well as the month and day, to ensure the accuracy of the historical record.
• If rehearsals are informally videotaped now, try to videotape every premiere performance (or at least the final rehearsal), using the best quality tape you can afford. Keep a master copy of each tape as well as those you make for presenters or funders. Do not play or dub from the master and store it in a safe, clean, secure place.
• Keep records consistent by routinely labeling (in detail) and logging each videotape created.
• Make sure you will be able to use the tapes as you wish in future by securing signed consent agreements from all those involved in the performance, including the musicians and stagehands.
• Improve your filing system to better organize the paper documentation of productions or events so you can retrieve the information as needed.
• Fully identify all photographs at the time they are taken. Do not rely on memory to identify dancers and others in the photo in the future.

Seek creative partnerships or resources to assist with added documentation efforts:

• Contact a local public access or cable television station, media center, or university dance (or video) program about free, bartered, or low cost use of equipment, recording space, and expertise. Seek their help or the help of experienced dance videographers to train yourself or the person who currently videotapes your work in order to improve the documentation product.
• Seek presenters who incorporate documentation into their programs (such as Dance Theatre Workshop in New York, Theatre Artaud in California, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts, American Dance Festival in North Carolina, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and others). Encourage additional presenters to do more documentation.
• Include the cost of documentation in grant applications or other requests for support for premiere performances, commissioned pieces or festival participation.
• Contact the Dance Notation Bureau for assistance in notating your work. Conservatory dance programs or local universities may provide notation training.
• Approach local dance studios to see if students are available as interns to help with the record keeping and documentation process.
• Look for local or national oral history programs through local historical societies, universities, and public or research libraries. Contact journalists, scholars, or retired professionals who might be interested in getting training in oral history and assisting with a project for your company or community.
• Form a relationship with a national performing arts library, local, regional or national library, historical society, or ethnic studies institute interested in your documentation needs and in assisting to establish a documentation/preservation program for your organization.

PART 2: TAKING CARE OF THE DOCUMENTATION

WHAT ARE ARCHIVES?

Simply put, archives are the materials that should always be kept. Whether paper, magnetic tape, or photographic image, they document the origins, development, and performances of a company, group, or individual. Every dance community or company undoubtedly has some form of archival materials. Archives should not include every note, multiple copy, check, or ticket stub, saved in perpetuity. Instead, an archive is comprised of materials and items deliberately identified as essential documentation.

The word "archives" refers not only to the materials but also to their responsible care and housing. Archives are not piles of disorganized boxes or jammed file drawers or shelves of unlabeled videotapes. These only become an archive when some person or group makes the effort to organize and maintain the materials and plan for their future. While the work of an archivist is a professional activity, just as dancing is, all individuals involved in creating and performing dance can take responsibility for documenting their art and careers and begin to care for the documentation. A simple plan helps clarify who is responsible for keeping what materials, where, how, and for how long. In developing any plan, all of those who create or use the materials identified as potential archives should be part of the planning process. This will help to involve them in the archival program, develop support for the effort, and increase awareness of its importance.

While a plan may be all encompassing, it can also focus on specific issues and results. It is useful to base your plan on a realistic goal. You may not be able to tackle everything at once, or you may be taking on the project for a particular reason. Try to begin with an end result in mind. Possible goals might include:

• To simply get your files organized;
• To create a better record of a work, a choreographer, a company;
• To find out what's on all those unlabeled videotapes;
• To take only what is really of value when moving an office or a studio;
• To celebrate an anniversary.

All of these goals can be assisted by the rudiments of an archives preservation program: knowing what you have and what you need, organizing what you have, caring for it, and using it.

Whose Interests are Represented in your Records

Dancers -- contracts may include residuals and other rights Choreographers Performing musicians residuals Photographers may retain rights to their work. Literary or multimedia collaborators may retain rights to their work. Composers of scores performed under license Set and costume designers -- designs may be separately copyrighted. Sponsors and supporters of new works -- who should be acknowledged when work is restaged or recreated.

As well as:

• The IRS
• Your trustees
• NEA and State Arts Councils
• Your accountants
• Foundations
• Union pension funds

HOW TO BEGIN AN ARCHIVES PRESERVATION PROGRAM

How you begin will depend on the resources available (time, money, helping hands), the amount of material on hand, the size of the company or group, and the nature of the organization. Whatever the situation, you should determine the following in devising a plan:

• What are your goals, what do you want to accomplish and in what order?
• What resources are available -- money, in-kind contributions, space, staff, or volunteer help?
• What additional resources do you need to meet the goals?

Your answers to these questions will determine how many aspects of an archival program you can successfully undertake. You may choose one or two of the following steps, or you may have the resources to accomplish all of them. The steps provide a menu of choices, all of which build towards a systematic, comprehensive archival program.

1. Get control over the records you are now creating or have created.

• Identify all the locations where materials might be found.
• Develop summary lists of broad categories of material that are keyed to locations.
• Consider what types of records are of permanent value and should be saved.

• Determine whether or not the documentation is in usable condition.

2. Review your resources in terms of money, time, space, and expertise.

Although it is possible to begin an archival program without new resources, it is helpful to have a little money to buy supplies and to pay for training. (Training may involve a one- or-two-day workshop at a local resource center or a six week intensive course.) Locating, surveying and organizing your documentation will take time and may require the services of a consultant. Bringing your records together in a systematic way will require space both to process and to house them. Because understanding the basic principles of archival management and preservation will make your task easier, you may want to obtain some training for yourself or a staff person. You should be realistic in your estimate of what it will take to create an archive if you are to be successful either in convincing others to support the project or in accomplishing your goal.

3. If you are working in an organization or company, build support for the project within your organization and among your board members.

• Provide copies of this booklet to others.
• Hold meetings to increase awareness with an open discussion of what is entailed in terms of added work and resources.
• Look for examples of programs begun in other dance organizations to discuss (as possible models) with your colleagues.

4. Determine what information you are missing and what you need to locate or create.

Try to see where the gaps are in the record. Identify other possible sources such as former company members, board members, friends, relatives, and videographers who may have materials that belong in the archives. Does a work need to be revived in order to document it? Do you need to get additional information from interviews? Should you expand the documentation you produce in the future in order to create a complete archival record?

5. Decide the who, what, where, when, and how.

Once you know what you have and where it is, its condition, how much support you have, and what additional information you would like, you can begin to make specific decisions about how to proceed:

• What are you going to do with the records you already have?
• What kind of resources do you have to carry out the project?
• Who is going to do it?
• Where will the work of sorting be done and where will the records be kept?
• When will the work occur and how long will it take?

All of the answers may not be available for all of the things you would like to do. Considering everything at once may be daunting, but by breaking the effort down into manageable pieces over a reasonable time frame, it can be done. (See "Getting Assistance" below for further ideas.)

6. Develop a plan for what is to be kept and for how long.

Once you know what you have and what records you create on an ongoing basis, you can decide which are to be retained permanently as your archives. Such a plan is sometimes referred to as a "retention schedule" and should be developed with help of an archives or records management professional and must be reviewed periodically. When making decisions about financial and legal documents, common sense and the advice of your accountant and legal counsel will also help. Such a plan can also assist you to manage your organization more efficiently.

7. Develop a safe and efficient way to store and to find what you have saved.

Once you decide what should be considered "archival," you can develop procedures to ensure that these archival materials are organized, properly stored, and retained permanently. These procedures should produce an inventory with brief descriptions of each group of materials and their location by box.

8. Preserve your records with proper handling, housing, and storage.

Preservation is mainly good housekeeping and common sense. There are regional preservation services or networks in many areas of the country willing to provide advice, training, and disaster assistance. Many research libraries also employ preservation administrators who can provide you with helpful information. The following is a checklist of basic do's and don'ts for caring for archival materials:

DO:

• Make sure you have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, you know how to use them, and what to do in an emergency.
• Protect your records against theft and vandalism by installing an adequate lock and by writing a use policy and monitoring their use.
• Store all types of records away from sources of heat, light, or water (e.g. not below a bathroom or kitchen that might leak).
• Use appropriately sized steel containers to store records without either slumping or overcrowding.
• Store videotapes upright like books; store films flat like pancakes.
• Store materials in the best quality containers (e.g. alkaline folders and boxes for paper materials, mylar sleeves or neutral folders for photographs), steel file cabinets and shelving. (See catalogs of distributors that specialize in archival supplies.)
• Recognize that different media have different environmental and storage requirements and store them separately by type.
• Store materials in an environment that fluctuates as little as possible in the course of a day and during the year. A cool temperature and low relative humidity are desirable.
• Wear lightweight white cotton gloves when handling photographs or film.
• Develop both a loan policy and an exhibition policy that specify how your materials are to be protected when they are out of your care.

• Don't eat or drink or smoke when working with or near records.
• Don't handle materials carelessly or roughly.
• Don't use staples, paperclips, or rubber bands on records.
• Don't use adhesives such as Scotch Tape®, mucilage, rubber cement, or Spray Mount®.
• Don't fold or roll documents.
• Don't unfold or unroll documents that have been stored rolled for a long time. They may have become brittle or inflexible and may be damaged in the process. Call the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) or look at a manual on archival processing.
• Don't store records in wooden cabinets or shelving.

9. Provide access to the materials.

The purpose of archives is not just to preserve but also to encourage use of the materials. Providing access to the information in the archives and to the materials themselves is an essential part of any archival program. The Dance Heritage Coalition is committed to insure that information about dance documentation and archives, their content, and location, is included in the national computerized library and information networks. Your contributions to dance should eventually be represented there as well. This kind of intellectual access encourages the use of and interest in dance across the disciplines. While people within your organization and outside should know about the resources available in your archives, use must be balanced by protection of unique material.

GETTING ASSISTANCE

There are many ways to undertake and support an archives program and many ways to get assistance. Different dance organizations choose different solutions for meeting their archival needs. These vary greatly depending on the organization's level of commitment, resources and character and may change over time. It is important to consider all the options carefully and to select the one that best suits your organization's needs and capabilities.

There are two basic approaches to development of an archival program. The first is to designate a national performing arts collection, a university library or a local institution such as a historical society as an official repository in which records will be deposited. This has been done by American Ballet Theatre at The New York Public Library, Dance Division, Twyla Tharp at Ohio State University, Boston Ballet at the Harvard Theatre Collection, The Ethnic Dance Festival at the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, and others. The second is an in-house program such as that established by the Merce Cunningham Foundation or the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Within each of those two basic choices, there are a number of further alternatives to consider:

WORKING WITH A PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY OR HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Working with an established archive or organization may be the best way to ensure that your history survives. This is a responsible choice for making your archives accessible for the future. You can either donate your archival materials outright to a repository, or you can begin to develop an ongoing relationship by donating some materials and/or working out a long range plan for transfer as materials become "archival" and are no longer needed in day to day management. Bear in mind, however, that a "repository" is much more than a records storage facility for your own use. Your materials will need to be available for general use immediately or at some specific time in the future.

If this option is attractive to you, determine what repositories are available locally. The national performing arts libraries and collections, major public libraries, university libraries, state historical societies, and members of the Independent Research Libraries Association are likely possibilities. Once you've identified a potential repository, make sure it can provide the appropriate storage, care and access your records deserve. A deed of gift should cover issues of ownership, access, preservation requirements and costs. You must feel comfortable about developing a long-term, collaborative relationship with the repository.

Finding the Right Repository

Approach the likely repositories. If they collect materials similar to yours and are interested, ask for copies of: Mission statement Collecting policy Annual reports Standard deed of gift agreement Arrange a visit and talk with staff: Assess adequacy of the space, security, and service Ask about research and duplicating services Find out if they have collections similar to yours Get references

A Deed of Gift

Transfers physical ownership of the records Can transfer ownership of copyright(s) belonging by the donor Cannot transfer ownership of copyrights belonging to someone other than donor Should specify whether there are any restrictions on the use of donated materials Should specify what will happen to the donated materials if the donee goes out of business Specifies what happens to the materials the recipient does not want: Returned to donor Sold for the benefit of donor or donee Destroyed Spells out Donor's and Donee's obligations to find funding for arranging, describing, and storing donated materials

There are some other pluses besides financial ones to this option: such a cooperative arrangement will provide you with advice and expertise, expand the possibilities of fund-raising appeals, and broaden your visibility through public relations events such as the opening of the archives or an exhibition highlighting your history.

DEVELOPING ARCHIVES FOR IN-HOUSE

If, on the other hand, you choose to develop an in-house archives, there are again alternatives to consider:

The first is to hire a consulting archivist to set up the archives and oversee its operations on a periodic basis. A staff member will still need to be assigned responsibility (and authority) for the on-going activities and development of the archive. If someone in the organization is eventually to become the archivist, that person will need to seek training, attend workshops, become a member of national and regional archives organizations, and purchase how-to publications. But having good professional advice and hands-on consultation at the outset and on a continuing basis will help you to avoid the many pitfalls awaiting a do-it-yourself operation.

A second option is to hire a professional archivist to develop the program and join your permanent staff. A third is to share an archivist with another dance or performing arts organization. This may work well if you can find the right person and develop a harmonious collaborative relationship with the other organization. Such an arrangement offers the advantage of providing you with a trained and experienced person on a permanent, if part-time, basis. You will have to find funding to pay for an additional staff member, but you will not have to assign responsibility for the archives to current staff. You may also be able to achieve some economies of scale in the purchase of supplies and equipment jointly with the other organization.

You know better than anyone else how many records your organization has created - how many boxes and filing cabinets are filled with paper and tapes. And you recognize that some of that material is of permanent archival value to you, your organization, and to the public. Keeping archives is a matter of determination and then of means. Even a minimal effort based on some of the suggestions in this brochure can yield dramatic results. The resource guides included below list some of the organizations and publications available to assist you. The Dance Heritage Coalition can help you discover the determination as well as the appropriate means to take the next step and preserving the record.

Resources Sheet

Beyond Memory is a project of the Dance Heritage Coalition. The first online and paper editions were funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Completed in 1994, the first edition was a collaborative effort of Margaret S. Child, Leslie Hansen Kopp, Judy Mitoma, Jeanne T. Newlin, Madeleine M. Nichols, Margaret K. Norton, Norton Owen, Cynthia Swank, and Vicky Risner. The work was edited and produced by Catherine J. Johnson with assistance from Bonnie Brooks, Michael Bloom, Nena Couch, Mindy Levine, and Andrea Snyder.

The newly revised, online version has been edited by Elizabeth Aldrich with assistance from Patricia R. Rader and Ann Seibert. This edition has been funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the generous contributions of individuals.

Dance Heritage Coalition
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