Ann Hutchinson Guest Collection
The Collection is based on the archives of the Language of Dance Centre (LODC), established in 1967 by Ann Hutchinson Guest, and her research on Labanotation and other systems of notation. Dr. Hutchinson Guest (3 November 1918 – 9 April 2022) was a world renowned expert, author and researcher in dance notation, and was one of the founders of The Dance Notation Bureau, based in New York.
What is Labanotation?
Labanotation is a system of analysing and recording human movement. It has been named after its inventor Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958), an important figure in European modern dance.
The main aim of the LOD Centre has been to establish an introduction to movement and dance through the use of an alphabet of Motif notation symbols as well as to promote the use of Labanotation as a living language that can record the world’s dance heritage in an intelligible, literate form.
Monica Collingwood Collection
This is a personal collection of a lifetime attendance of ballet and other performances of Monica Collingwood (1913 – 2003) spanning between 1929 and 1999. Monica Collingwood became passionate about ballet at the age of 7 when she saw a performance with Anna Pavlova. She visited performances at least once a week and seldom missed a key performance until the late 1970s. She actively followed the career of dancers such as Margot Fonteyn, Moira Shearer, Alicia Markova, Robert Helpman and Rudolf Nureyev.
The collection is a comprehensive personal account of a ballet enthusiast and gives a rare insight into cultural life during the mid 20th century and beyond.
Froebel Archive for Childhood Studies
The Froebel Archive for Childhood Studies was established in 1977 and focuses on Friedrich Froebel’s educational legacy, early years and elementary education. It holds a variety of books, administrative records, staff and student registers, minutes of meetings, photograph albums and student work, reflecting on the history of the Froebel College and its student life. In 2008, the Froebel Trust, formally known as the National Froebel Foundation, deposited its comprehensive historical archive collection with the Foyle Special Collections and Archives. The two collections are a unique historical record of the Froebel movement in the UK.
A selection of key Froebelian texts, including the journal Child Life have been digitised and are available via our Special Collections Digital Resources.
Who is Friedrich Froebel?
Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852) is regarded as one of the most influential educationalist of the nineteenth century, inventor of the concept and word Kindergarten, and responsible for the first training programmes for female kindergarten teachers. He opened his first Play and Activity Institute in 1837 which he renamed in Kindergarten in 1840.
In addition to the Kindergarten, Froebel is best known for his creation of the Gifts, an ordered sequence of building block as educational toys.
For more information on the Gifts and Friedrich Froebel's educational principles, visit the Froebel Trust website.