Reiter-Soffer, Domy

Reference Code: IE 2135 N52

Title: The Domy Reiter-Soffer Papers

Dates of Creation: 1962-2010

Level of Description: Fonds

Extent and Medium: 2 boxes and 4 outsize items (226 files)

CONTEXT

Name of Creator(s): Reiter-Soffer, Domy.

Biographical History: Domy Reiter-Soffer was born in Tel Aviv and began his career with Israel Ballet in 1959. In 1962, he became a member of Irish Theatre Ballet, Ireland’s first professional ballet company, and danced as a guest with Cork Ballet Company, both of which were run under the artistic directorship of Joan Denise Moriarty. In 1964, he moved to the UK, where he became a member of London Dance Theatre, The Western Theatre Ballet at Saddler’s Wells, and The Scottish Ballet. He has also been a guest artist with major American ballet companies, among others New York Contemporary Dance Company, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, American Ballet Theatre 2, Ballet Met, and Ohio Ballet. He also danced with the Israeli Bat-Dor Dance Company and acted as its resident choreographer, creating over thirty ballets for the company. From 1975-1989 he acted as artistic advisor and choreographer of Irish National Ballet creating over twenty works, among them Women, Yerma, Paradise Gained, Lady of the Camellias, Pomes Penyeach, La Valse, Chariots of Fire, House of Bernarda Alba, and Oscar, the company’s last ballet before its disbandment in 1989. Domy Reiter-Soffer’s distinguished career has seen him as director of numerous plays, musicals, and operas, choreographer for film, opera, and television, and designer of over thirty dance and theatre productions across the world. He is also an accomplished painter, with twenty-two one-man shows in Europe, America, and Israel.

Immediate Source of Acquisition: Donated by Domy Reiter-Soffer to the National Dance Archive of Ireland on 17 April 2012. Additional material donated on 11 April 2013.

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Scope and Content: Posters, programmes, press cuttings, photographs, recordings, and correspondence illustrating Domy Reiter-Soffer’s early career as a dancer and his subsequent career as a choreographer, particularly in connection with Cork Ballet Company (established by Joan Denise Moriarty in 1947), Irish Theatre Ballet (Ireland’s first professional ballet company, established by Moriarty in 1959), and Irish Ballet Company (later renamed Irish National Ballet, 1973-1989). Also of note is material relating to Irish National Ballet, created by a merger of Moriarty’s Irish Theatre Ballet and the Dublin-based National Ballet founded by Patricia Ryan in 1959, during its brief existence between June 1963 and March 1964.

Appraisal, Destruction and Scheduling Information: All records have been retained except for a small number of duplicate photocopies which have been destroyed.

Accruals: Further accruals are possible.

System of Arrangement: Items have been divided into two series according to the activity to which they relate and thereunder arranged by type or choreography and listed chronologically by date.

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE

Conditions Governing Access: Unrestricted access to most items. A small number of items contain personal information and are closed to protect individual privacy.

Conditions Governing Reproduction: Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.

Language/ Scripts of Material: Predominantly English; a small number of documents in French, German, Hebrew, and Chinese.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements: Mostly paper documents in good condition. N52/1/5/1 requires a video player. N52/2/2/23/3 (1) requires a PC or laptop with a CD-drive. The ½” audio reels N52/2/2/35/3-6 are too fragile to be safely handled. Digital access to contents is available in the reading room – please check with a member of staff.

Finding Aids: A hard copy of the descriptive catalogue is available at the Special Collections and Archives Department, Glucksman Library, University of Limerick.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and Locations of Originals: The originals of N52/2/1/1 and N52/2/2/23/3 have been retained by the donor.

Related Units of Description: Digital images of photographs, correspondence, reviews, videos, and art work relating to Domy Reiter-Soffer and his career are available on his website at http://domyrs.com. Additional material relating to Domy Reiter-Soffer can be found in the Joan Denise Moriarty Collection at Cork City Library, and in the RTÉ Stills Library (https://stillslibrary.rte.ie/). Additional material relating to the dance work Dark Enchantress can be found in the Norman Maen Papers (N65) in the National Dance Archive of Ireland, University of Limerick.

DESCRIPTION CONTROL

Archivist’s Note: Papers arranged and described by Anna-Maria Hajba.

Rules or Conventions: This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition, 2000; Irish Guidelines for Archival Description, 2009; National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997; and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services, 2018.

Date of Description: May 2012. Updated July 2013. Revised November 2020.