New Onsite & Online Exhibition: Preserving More Bay Area Dance Legacies (2024)
Preserving More Bay Area Dance Legacies (2024) highlights key San Francisco Bay Area-based dancer/choreographers and companies whose papers are a part of the Elyse Eng Dance Collection at the Museum of Performance + Design. This exhibit displays a selection of images and ephemera from the Oakland Ballet Company and Muriel Maffre. All items featured in this exhibit were curated from the Muriel Maffre Papers and the Oakland Ballet Company Publicity Records.
Oakland Ballet Company:
Oakland Ballet Company is one of the oldest ballet companies in the United States, founded by choreographer Ronn Guidi in 1965. Inspired by Ballets Russes de Diaghilev’s choreographic works, Oakland Ballet was the first to restage the complete ballets by Bronislava Nijinska. The company remains active to the present day. Display Cases 1 and 2 contain a variety of performance photos, programs, ticket stubs, and newspaper reviews covering a 30+ year period.
Muriel Maffre:
Muriel Maffre is an established dancer and dance educator/administrator, having danced with companies such as Ballets de Monte Carlo, and the San Francisco Ballet as the principal dancer. She also served as the Executive Director of the Museum of Performance + Design (2013-2017). In this exhibit you will find performance photos from Maffre’s time with the San Francisco Ballet (Case 3) as well as photos, a costume headpiece, and correspondence from Maffre’s time with the Ballets de Monte Carlo (Case 4).
This exhibit is sponsored in part by a grant from Grants For the Arts. Cataloging, digitization, and access to these collections is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the’ Arts/Art Works.
The exhibition is open free to the public Tuesday - Friday from 1pm - 6pm and the first Saturday of each month from 1pm - 5pm.
Cover Image: Left: Maffre and Olivier Wecxsteen perform in the Ballets de Monte Carlo premier of "In the Middle... Somewhat Elevated", 1989. Choreography by William Forsythe. Music by Tom Willems. // Photo by Mac Burnie. Right: The Bride (Natalia Eremin) and attendeants in Bronislava Nijinska's "Les Noces". Oakland Ballet 30th Anniversary Celebration, September 19, 1995, Paramount Theatre. // Photo by Marty Sohl.