Call Number:

SCRC 623

Repository:

Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center

Extent:

1.1 linear feet (2 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Eva Gholson papers, SCRC 623, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Date:

1975-1999 (inclusive)

Creator:

Gholson, Eva and Sybil Dance Company

Form:

Clippings, Printed ephemera, Posters, Administrative records, Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws (administrative records), Correspondence, Directories, Drawings, Financial records, Ledgers (account books), Legal documents, Logs, Mailing lists, Membership lists, Minutes (administrative records), Negatives, Newsletters, Pamphlets, Photographs, Press releases, Reports, Slides, and Playbills

Abstract:

Eva M. Gholson served as a professor of dance studies at Temple University from 1972 to 2011. Gholson was also a founding member, artistic director, and choreographer for Sybil Dance Company.

In the 1960s, Eva Gholson was one of the first Black women to train at the Merce Cunningham school where she studied with Cunningham, Judith Dunn, and Sandra Neels. Gholson earned a Bachelor of Arts in dance from Bard College, and, while earning an MFA in dance education at Sarah Lawrence College, she studied with Bessie Schonberg. Gholson also trained as a pianist, graduating from the Peabody Conservatory of Music with a focus on piano theory and violin.

Gholson's work as a dance educator and choreographer ranged from university level courses to masterclasses and workshops at colleges and dance studios on a national and international level. Gholson's choreography was performed not only by Sybil Dance Company but also PHILADANCO!, Philadelphia Civic Ballet, Temple University dance students, various other college dance programs, and international dance companies.

Gholson's choreographic career includes creation of over fifty original works in the modern dance style; her choreography has been described as flowing, natural, lyrical, earthy, spiritual, intense, passionate, and formal. During her career as an educator, artistic director, and choreographer, Gholson was recognized for her work in dance with a 1988 award from the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum. In 2004, Gholson published Image of the Singing Air: Presence and Conscience in Dance and Music Collaboration, which combines her knowledge of music theory and dance theory through a personal perspective.

Founded in 1976 by Eva Gholson, Sybil Dance Company incorporated as a non-profit in 1979. For the two decades of its operation, Eva Gholson acted as artistic director of Sybil Dance Company. Gholson's mission for the company was to create collaborative works that expressed female ideas, emotions, and spirituality with a small group of professional dancers. The dance company was also known as Dance Company Sybil and SYBIL Modern Dance Troupe. The small ensemble of dancers performed in Temple University's Conwell theatre and throughout Pennsylvania. Between 1976 and 1983, the modern dance ensemble solely performed Gholson's choreography, but, in 1983, Gholson reshaped the company, changing its name to Dance Company Sybil and inviting other members to choreograph works for the company. The company's last published review of a performance appeared in 1992, and Sybil Dance Company does not appear again in local news reports.

The Eva Gholson collection includes personal papers of Eva Gholson from her time as a professor of dance studies at Temple University, and business records detailing the operations and activities of Gholson's Sybil Dance Company. The Eva Gholson Papers provide a glimpse into Eva Gholson's career as a professor of dance studies at Temple University, her years with Sybil Dance Company, and the Philadelphia dance scene for a small modern dance troupe performing from 1976 to circa 1992.

The collection is arranged into 2 series as follows:

Series 1: Professional activities files, 1976-1992 Series 2: Sybil Dance Company records, 1979-1991

Series 1 contains notes, correspondence, articles, Temple University research grant applications, various curricula vitae, and documents associated with Gholson's pedagogical activities, including residencies, attendance at American College Dance Festival, and programs featuring Gholson's choreography performed by Temple University students.

Series 2 contains records related to the business of Sybil Dance Company from 1979 to 1991, and includes financial records, various publicity materials, photographs and negatives, organizational records, and performance/choreographic documents.