The Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division collects and preserves audio and moving image (AMI) materials related to the experiences of people of African descent. In this division, they hold media formats such as:
Here you can listen to interviews of choreographers and performers, dance instruction videos, and other programs.
This division does take walk-ins, however, it is always better to make an appointment first
The Ernie Smith Collection is a treasury of moving images for different kinds of media and genres, but all focused on Jazz and Jazz Dance performances. You can expect to find media such as:
Featured Performers in this collection include Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole.
Within the collection there are two compilations:
Dancing in the many cultures is almost always tied to religion or some sort of sacred ceremony. There are dances to call forth the rain, dances for a good harvest, and even traditional dances one must do when they reach a certain age or milestone in their life.
The Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division hold incredible audio and video recordings of different styles of African dance, interviews with African dance troupes and choreographers, and behind-the-scenes footage into the rehearsal process and early beginning of dance companies, performers, and choreographers.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. "'Law! Miss Feely Whip! - wouldn't kill a skeeter!'"" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1897. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-e54b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99