The Lowenthal Dance Collection

The Ryerson Library and the Ryerson Dance Program are very pleased to announce the acquisition of 103 books from the Leo and Lillian Lowenthal dance collection. This purchased collection represents a broad cross-section of dance forms and includes biographical, critical, pictorial and philosophical discourses on dance. Many of these books are historically significant as they are limited copies or are no longer in print.

In addition to the vast compilation of dance books which she and her husband Leo acquired, Lillian Lowenthal has devoted much of her life to researching the work of Isadora Duncan and the significant, creative impact of Duncan's work on the emergence of new dance in the 1900s. Lillian Lowenthal has lectured on the art and life of Isadora at numerous universities, and has exhibited her collection of Duncan artifacts and memorabilia at libraries and museums in the United States. She is the author of The Search for Isadora: The Legend and Legacy of Isadora Duncan, published in 1993.

This acquisition of the Lowenthal books is a valuable addition to the Ryerson Library, and represent a major enhancement to our dance books collection. Thanks to all those in the Dance Program, the Theatre School and the Library who worked together to make this possible.