Welland Lathrop
ABOUT WELLAND LATHROP
Welland Lathrop (1905-1981) was a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and a leader of the West Coast modern and avant-garde dance movement. He began his artistic career in 1926, starting with an apprenticeship in costume and scenic design at the Eastman Theatre, Rochester, New York. Following that, he relocated to San Francisco in 1928 to study under Rudolph Schaeffer at the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design. The same year, he also began studying dance with Ann Mundstock of the Laban School, and would continue to study with both until 1930.
In 1930, Lathrop accepted the position of head of the Design Department at the Cornish School in Seattle, Washington. While working in this role, Lathrop continued his dance training with the Wigman School, where he studied until 1934. The same year, Lathrop became the head of the Dance Department at the Cornish School, a position he held until 1938. In 1938, Lathrop left the Cornish School and moved to New York, where he was offered the position of assistant in dance composition to Louis Horst, a renowned musical director, at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. After moving to New York, Lathrop continued his training with Martha Graham, whom he knew from before. From 1938 to 1945, Lathrop worked as Horst's assistant, toured with the Martha Graham Company, and performed in various Broadway shows as a dancer. During this time, Lathrop also accepted a private grant to study the dances of the Southwest Native Americans in Arizona and New York.
In 1946, Lathrop returned to San Francisco and established the Welland Lathrop School and Dance Company, which would remain active until 1964. Within the same year, he began collaborating with Anna Halprin. This partnership performed as the the Halprin-Lathrop Studio Theatre, a partnership that would last until 1955. Performances included solos, duos, and group works they each choreographed for the company.
In 1956, along with continuing his school and dance company, Lathrop taught dance at the Drama Department at San Francisco State University. He also coordinated a course on Creative Arts during this time. Lathrop stayed with San Francisco State University until 1965. He continued performing in San Francisco and on tour with his company during this time and after he left San Francisco State University until 1969. That year, Lathrop accepted positions to teach dance at Dominican College, where he worked until 1973, and to teach 3-Dimensional Design at the Rudolph Schaeffer School, where he worked until 1979.
Lathrop referred to his work as "contemporary theatre-dance." His aim was to fully integrate movement, sound, and visual design within his pieces. He believed that any artist must consider all the components of a performance, and took pride in being able to design the visual display of many of his compositions.
Lathrop choreographed dozens of modern dance works, including Cantos on a Chinese Flute, Legend of the Navajo, Partita, Pieces of Nothing, and This is His Birthday.
Alongside performance and teaching, Lathrop was an active painter. His works were exhibited in the Lawson Gallery (1968), the Rental Gallery at the San Francisco Museum of Art (1968), and at Dominican College (1973). Following his retirement from performance in 1969 and teaching in 1979, Lathrop also continued to advise and choreograph for other San Francisco area groups, including the Shela Xoregos Performing Company. In 1977, he choreographed his last work with this group, Endangered Species. In that year he also traveled to Jerusalem to give master classes at the Rubin Academy.
On February 24, 1981, Lathrop died in San Francisco at home from a heart issue at the age of 75. In 1982, a memorial walk in his name was established at Buena Vista Park, a park near the Lathrops' home on Masonic Avenue.
This exhibit features a selection of images from the Welland Lathrop Papers. Images are arranged in alphabetical order by choreographic work.
Images of Welland Lathrop and his choreography are also available in this exhibit as part of the Anna Halprin Digital Archives.
CLICK IMAGES BELOW FOR FULL VIEW
Cantos on Chinese Flute
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performers: Dancers from the Welland Lathrop Dance Company
Cantos on Chinese Flute
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performers: Dancers from the Welland Lathrop Dance Company
Don Quixote or The Enchantment of Alonso Quixano (1953)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Laurence Clarke
Costumes based on designs by Suzanna Hart
Performer: Welland Lathrop
Don Quixote or The Enchantment of Alonso Quixano (1953)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Laurence Clarke
Costumes based on designs by Suzanna Hart
Performer: Welland Lathrop
Hamlet
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performer: Welland Lathrop
Hamlet
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performer: Welland Lathrop
Jacob (1949)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Leonard Ratner
Costume Designer: Henning Watterson
Performers: Welland Lathrop and Richard Ford
Jitterbug
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performers: Welland Lathrop and Ruth Vollmer
Johnny Appleseed (circa 1937-1941)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Paul Bowles
Costume Designer: Mary Grant
Performer: Welland Lathrop
Legend of the Navajo (1949)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Herbert Greene
Costume Designer: Mary Grant
Performer: Welland Lathrop
Minstrel Show (1951)
Choreographer and Costume Designer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Gene Ferrell
Performers: Anna Halprin and Welland Lathrop
Partita (1953)
Choreographer and Costumes: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performers: Members of the Welland Lathrop Dance Company
Partita (1953)
Choreographer and Costumes: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performers: Members of the Welland Lathrop Dance Company
Pieces of Nothing (circa 1950s)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Tibor Harsanyi
Performer: Welland Lathrop
This is His Birthday (1943)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performers: Welland Lathrop and Ethel Winter
This is His Birthday (1943)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Performers: Welland Lathrop, Angela Kennedy, and Helen McGenee
White Writing (1959)
Choreographer: Welland Lathrop
Composer: Peter Boulez
Performers: Diana Robertson and Cliff Keuter
ABOUT THE WELLAND LATHROP PAPERS
The Welland Lathrop Papers contains biographical information about Lathrop's career and education, including programs, writings, correspondence, and related documents. The papers also include photographs of Lathrop in performance as well as photographs of colleagues and collaborators, such as Ann Mundstock and Anna Halprin. The papers also include several workbooks and publications regarding Labanotation and Lathrop's Elementary and Intermediate certificates from the Dance Notation Bureau.
Also featured are several video recordings of Lathrop's seminal works, such as Allemande, Triptych, Partita, Don Quixote, and Endangered Species (his final work), among others. Also included is a manuscript copy written by Ann Hutchinson Guest, movement and dance researcher and a preeminent authority on dance notation, titled Your Move about Labanotation, with Lathrop's notes and feedback.
The collection also includes extensive notes and correspondence with between the late Crystal Mann, a teacher and former member of Lathrop's dance company, and Lathrop's son, Conrad Cummings, on the preservation of Lathrop's archive. This includes detailed inventories, correspondence on filling in gaps in Lathrop's history, and information regarding the digitized objects included in this collection and some of what was donated to the New York Public Library.
The Welland Lathrop Papers are organized as follows: Series I: Personal and Professional Work; Series II: Writings and Instructional Work; Series III: Correspondence; Series IV: Programs and Press Materials; Series V: Photographic Materials; Series VI: Collected Publications; Series VII: Audiovisual materials; Series VIII: Lathrop Archives Related Documents.
To access the finding aid, click here.