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William and Mary Heritage Dancers Records

 Collection
Identifier: UA 7.040

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

This collection includes records from the William and Mary Heritage Dancers, a student group that performs reconstructions of dances recorded in historical sources and modern dances composed in the historic style. The club also became a forum for students to compose and try out their own original “English Country” dances.

Acc. 2009.176 contains the student group's revised bylaws, a history of the club by graduate student Jenna Simpson who was one of the students to reestablish the group in 2007, fliers, a printout of the group's webpage from 2000 (printed in 2009), a number of photographs of members dancing, and other related material. Electronic versions of some of the records were received along with print copies and will be available in the digital repository at a future date.

The portion Acc. 2009.176 received electronically is available in the William and Mary digital repository.

Acc. 2010.392: Contains color photographs of members of the William and Mary Heritage Dancers at various events during the 2009 to 2010 academic year. The events include the Jefferson Ball in Richmond, Virginia, the annual Jane Austen Evening, George Washington Ball in Williamsburg, Virginia, and an intercollegiate dance party with students at Randolph-Macon College. Also included in this accession is a club history report for the 2009-2010 academic year by President Jenna Simpson.

Dates

  • Creation: 2000-2009
  • Creation: Majority of material found in 2007-2009

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Conditions Governing Use

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Biographical / Historical

The William and Mary Heritage Dancers was established in 1997 as the Williamsburg Heritage Dancers at William and Mary. The William & Mary Heritage Dancers is a student group that meets regularly to learn and perform a historic style of social dancing known as English Country Dance (ECD). ECD was revived on a hobbyist level at the turn of the twentieth century, and seems to have returned to the Williamsburg area in the mid-twentieth century. The student group does both reconstructions of dances recorded in historical sources and modern dances composed in the historic style. The club also became a forum for students to compose and try out their own original “English Country” dances. A personal account of the group by Jenna Simpson, one of the students to reestablish the group in 2006, is available in the collection.

Officers:

Spring & Fall 2007

President: Jenna Simpson

Vice-President: Sarah McCartney

Secretary: Melissa Pocock

Treasurer: Mary Wakeman-Linn

Spring & Fall 2008

President: Jenna Simpson

Vice-President: Kelsey Bartiss

Secretary: Katrina Hudy

Treasurer: Melissa Pocock (spring), Paul Matson (fall)

Spring & Fall 2009

President: Jenna Simpson

Vice-President: Amy Green

Secretary: Sarah McCartney (spring), Katrina Hudy & Kelsey Bartiss (fall)

Treasurer: Paul Matson

Extent

0.10 Linear Feet

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acc. 2009.176 received from Jenna Simpson on 4/30/2009.

Related Materials

A t-shirt received as part of the collection was transferred to the University Archives Artifact Collection.

Title
Guide to the William and Mary Heritage Dancers Records
Author
Amy C. Schindler, SCRC Staff
Date
2009-05-05
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository

Contact: