| Collecting Strand | National Resource Centre for Dance |
| Level | Fonds |
| Ref No | JS |
| Title | Janet Smith and Dancers Archive |
| Date | 1976-1990 |
| Extent | 30 artworks, 51 boxes of papers, 525 photographs, 86 posters, 23 theatre programmes, and 4 videotapes. There is additionally 1 uncatalogued box and 1 uncatalogued set of posters. |
| Name of Creator | Janet Smith and Dancers; 1976-[1997]; touring dance company |
| Description | The collection comprises the company archive of Janet Smith and Dancers, covering the company's activities between 1976 and 1988. Included within the archive are:
- Financial records, including financial records accounts, invoices, petty cash, bank statements, budgets;
- Records relating to tours and bookings;
- Marketing and publicity papers, including advertising materials, box office figures and notes, programme copy, mailing and distribution lists, and standard letters;
- Funding records, including details of the applications made for grants and sponsorship to the Greater London Arts, the Arts Council of Great Britain, the British Council, and Regional Arts Boards, and general correspondence between these organisations;
- Biographies of the artistic members of the company for use in the theatre programmes and information packs produced by the company;
- Production files containing details of national and international tours;
- Education files, including the company's education pack, education policy, mailing lists and A-level Dance correspondence;
- General company records including minutes, budgets and agendas;
- Newsletters, press information, correspondence with journalists, press releases and cuttings, reviews and press lists;
- Artwork for publicity and posters, and the Janet Smith and Dancers newsletter;
- Photographs of works, staff and members of the company, workshops and residencies;
- Programmes and posters for national and international tours;
- Videos of workshops.
There is a small quantity of material that is not yet catalogued. If you require further information about this material, please email archives@surrey.ac.uk.
1 box and 1 batch of posters still require cataloguing. If you require further information about this material, please email archives@surrey.ac.uk. |
| Arrangement | Material arranged at time of cataloguing according to the format-based classification scheme which was then in use by the National Resource Centre for Dance. The administrative papers of the company have been categorised alphabetically by subject to reflect their original arrangement. Photographs are arranged by the work depicted. |
| Administrative History | Janet Smith and Dancers (1976-1997) was a touring dance company founded by the dancer and choreographer Janet Smith. Smith had studied Dance and Drama at Dartington College between 1969-1971, and afterwards travelled to New York to continue her dance training with teachers from the Cunningham Studio, Erik Hawkin's School, and the Joffrey School of Ballet. On returning to England in 1974, Smith taught at Trinity and All Saints College, Leeds, as well as choreographing her own dance works. After a successful solo debut in 1975, Smith established her company Janet Smith and Dancers in 1976 with the aid of a Yorkshire Arts Association grant.
Nationally Janet Smith and Dancers toured extensively. By 1982 Janet Smith and Dancers had developed from small-scale venues to mid-scale and was able to employ 6-7 dancers full-time. From 1984-1988 the company was supported through a revenue grant from the Arts Council of Great Britain. Janet Smith and Dancers undertook international tours with funding from the British Council, including tours of France and Germany in 1982, and tours of Malaysia and Hong Kong in 1984.
Janet Smith and Dancers' artistic policy was to create entertaining, innovative, accessible dance of a high quality to a wide range of audiences. Narrative was frequently used and the role of the music emphasised. Initially Smith choreographed all the works performed, but from 1979 Robert North, Christopher Bruce and Matt Mattox were amongst the choreographers commissioned to produce pieces for the company.
The company became dependent on project funding after the Arts Council revenue grant was withdrawn in 1988. Janet Smith and Dancers ultimately closed in 1997 following the 'Coming of Age' tour. Smith went on to become Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre, and later Principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. |
| Language | English |
| German |
| Greek |
| Accruals | No further accruals are expected. |
| Custodial History | The archive collection was generated through the course of the Company's activities from its foundation until 1988, when Arts Council Funding was withdrawn. |