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An Early Peek at the Ruth Page Collection!

January 4, 2013
Bolero 500

BOLERO at Ravinia (HIghland Park, IL), 1928

Dancing with the Ravinia Opera as early as 1926, Ruth Page (herself only 26 years old) was also given the chance to choreograph large-scale performances at Ravinia’s north of Chicago outdoor venue.

Last year CFA discovered several 35mm nitrate film elements in the Page Collection. As a result of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, these films are currently at Colorlab to be restored and preserved on 35mm safety film.  According to labeling on these elements, both CARMEN and BOLERO were performed at Ravinia in 1928.  Nitrate film produces crystalline images often like no other film stock can.  We are excited to see the final prints that Colorlab produces for this project.

Also underway is the digital preservation of 80 more reels of Ruth Page performances and rehearsals recorded on ½ inch reel-to-reel videotape in the 60s and early 70s.  The folks at Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) are working with these more volatile tapes in order to ensure the survival of these dance events recorded a half century ago.

We’ll keep you posted!

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