aergas's blog

The Reuther Library announces with sadness the death of Detroit cultural icon Harriet Berg on February 20, 2025.
More than 30 years ago, Harriet and her husband Irving Berg founded and endowed the Michigan Dance Archives (MDA) at the Reuther Library.  read more »

The Reuther Library extends its congratulations to Harriet Berg on becoming a centenarian this month. Berg has been a choreographer, teacher, performer and arts advocate in the Detroit area for many decades, especially known for her historical dance companies, the Madame Cadillac Dancers and the Renaissance Dance Company.  read more »

Note: This text includes language that is outdated and may be offensive. Titles of events and writings are included in their original language circa 1963.

A little-known collection in the Wayne State University Archives documents an event that took place at the university in 1963, 60 years ago this year, but commemorating a historic event 100 years before that. The year-long observance — the centennial of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation — was marked by celebrations, lectures, symposia, performances, and the granting of honorary degrees. The small collection of the Wayne State University Emancipation Centennial Committee, which resides at the Walter P. Reuther Library, contains a wealth of correspondence, texts of speeches, and academic papers.  read more »

The newest addition to the Michigan Dance Archives is now open to researchers: Cecchetti Council of America Records. The CCA is a membership-based dance education organization, established in 1939, dedicated to maintaining the standards and methods of ballet training established by Cavalier Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928).  read more »