A new portal showcases Québec’s dance heritage
The recent digitization of more than 4,500 photographs enriches the largest collection of dance documents in Canada. It includes, among others, posters, art prints, programs and video recordings.
As head librarian Marie-Josée Lecours explained: “An important part of the Library’s iconographic collection remained inaccessible, yet it was the subject of countless searches, consultations and requests for use or reproduction. We felt an urgency to digitize, treat and showcase this unique collection whose fragility is palpable and whose historic importance is undeniable.”
Brought together in this new “Digital Collection” space, these documentary treasures cover more than a century of dance in Québec, attesting to the creators and their works, dance companies, the dancers themselves, not to mention dance photographers. The digitization of this collection ensures the protection of an entire section of the history of Québec society, by avoiding the irreversible deterioration that would result from repeated handling of the originals.
The “Digital Collection” space has been unveiled at an official launch on December 9. The Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent-Warren was able to carry out this project thanks to financial assistance from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and Library and Archives Canada as well as the support of L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec