Eric Foner

Dance for a city : fifty years of the New York City Ballet

Since its inception fifty years ago the New York City Ballet has been a vital force in American dance and an essential component of American cultural life. As the vehicle for the development and expression of George Balanchines immensely influential artistic vision -- as well as that of other eminent choreographers -- the company has created a vast and significant body of work. Its dancers, choreographers, and artistic directors have seeded new dance companies around the nation, disseminating both the NYCBs repertory and its lofty standards of virtuosity. The companys numerous close ties with the overlapping New York artistic and intellectual worlds have played an important part in the foundation of many of the artistic movements of the twentieth century. Exploring these and other achievements with critical acumen, Dance for a City -- produced in conjunction with a major exhibition at the New-York Historical Society -- examines the rich history, cultural significance, and continuing accomplishments of Americas premier ballet company. Lavishly illustrated with a wide range of extraordinary photographs, this collection of essays -- edited by dance scholar and exhibition curator Lynn Garafola and historian Eric Foner -- takes a new and provocative look at the history of the New York City Ballet, placing it within the context of the citys changing intellectual and cultural life and underscoring its role in the development of a distinctly American aesthetic. Drawing on the perspectives of dance scholars, urbanists, musicologists, art historians, and scholars of gay history, Dance for a City explores the many art forms and artistic figures associated with the company, revealing the complex forces that contributed to its success, its representation in the broader cultural milieu, and its formative role in American dance during the past half-century. Dance for a City includes: * Lynn Garafolas interpretive history of the New York City Ballet, beginning with its origins in the 1930s * urban historian Thomas Bender on the companys place in postwar intellectual life * dance historian Sally Banes on the New York City Ballets surprising relationship with modern dance * musicologist Charles M. Joseph on the sources of Agon, George Balanchines avant-garde masterpiece of the 1950s * Richard Sennett on the New York City Ballet audience of the 1960s as it appeared to an aspiring musician * art historian Jonathan Weinberg on the ballet photographs of photographer George Platt Lynes * an unpublished interview with George Balanchine by Nancy Reynolds * a portfolio of photographs of Jerome Robbins * the first complete list of Jerome Robbinss ballets and musicals

Black History and the Reconstruction Era

Eric Foner presented this lecture on November 18, 2005 as part of the “Black History Matters” lunch and lecture series hosted by Columbia Universitys Center for Contemporary Black History. Foner discussed the misperception that historical sources documenting Black voices during Reconstruction were not available. He argued that understanding the Reconstruction Era is key to comprehending the historical shift represented by the Civil Rights Movement.