American Rhythm Tap Pioneer

Coles, Charles 'Honi' (and others)

ARCHIVE: Charles 'Honi' Coles & My One and Only Era New York Renaissance [American Rhythm Tap Pioneer: The Late-Career New York Renaissance]

THE LATE-CAREER NEW YORK RENAISSANCE ARCHIVE OF CHARLES 'HONI' COLES
An exceptional personal and performance archive centering on legendary tap dance pioneer Charles 'Honi' Coles (1911–1992), charting his warm family friendships, his Tony Award-winning Broadway run, and his high-profile concert appearances in the mid-to-late 1980s. 

Widely regarded as the premier master of high-speed rhythm tap, Coles was a foundational architect of American vernacular dance whose career bridged the big band era of the Apollo Theatre with the late-twentieth-century Broadway tap revival. 

Preserved within the private files of the Ben Raeburn (Horizon Press) and Pat Pearcy estate, the collection seamlessly bridges Coles's public achievements—including an unrecorded 1988 major dance award program and a 1984 Carnegie Hall appearance—with intimate, annotated family photographs and correspondence. 

THE AWARD CENTERPIECE:
+++ The 37th Annual Capezio Dance Award Official Tribute Program. Monday, April 18, 1988, at The Joyce Theater. 
+++ A large-format, 4-panel folding program on heavy glossy stock. Measures 5.75 by 10.75 inches closed, opening horizontally to an impressive 22.75 inches. Features an avant-garde geometric cover design reading HONI, an extensive illustrated biography, photographic retrospectives of his career from the 1940s onward, 
+++Printed tributes from Agnes de Mille, Alvin Ailey, and Suzanne Farrell. 
An unrecorded survival; entirely absent from OCLC/WorldCat and institutional holdings, this transient program was produced strictly for attendees of the one-night gala ceremony. 
Condition: Near fine with only negligible surface rubbing to the high-gloss black background of the outer wrappers; interior panels are immaculate and completely unmarked.
 
THE CARNEGIE HALL CENTERPIECE:
+++Kool Jazz Festival New York official program for An Evening of the Music of Harold Arlen at Carnegie Hall, Monday, June 25, 1984. Features Honi Coles billed prominently at the head of the performer roster alongside Bobby Short and Stan Getz.
+++Accompanied by the original programmatic insert layout text by Edward Jablonski and photocopied contemporary newspaper review clippings of the festival production. 
Condition: Program covers lightly handled with minor edge wear; the accompanying newspaper clippings are vintage photocopies showing expected age-toning and original folding creases. 

MONOGRAPH ANCHOR:
+++Marshall and Jean Stearns. Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance. New York: Schirmer Books, trade paperback edition. Unsigned, but features a critical administrative note taped to the front cover in the hand of Pat Pearcy dated 5/26/96: 
Make a xc of the pages on Honi & Chally pp. 305-311... (see picture also, after p. 240) P. 
Condition: Good or better; trade volume shows distinct shelf wear, moderate rubbing to the wrapper edges, and a small, permanent diagonal crease to the lower front wrapper corners. The taped ink note remains firmly adhered and perfectly legible. 

AUTOGRAPH CORRESPONDENCE & POSTAL HISTORY:
+++ 2-page handwritten letter signed by Honi Coles (July 26, 1983) on a full sheet; 
+++ a handwritten note signed by Coles (September 24, 1984) with the original postmarked envelope; 
+++ Autographed picture-postcard signed by Coles (Feb 26, 1985); a signed Playbill cover inscribed Love, Honi Coles; 
+++ December 18, 1987 mailing envelope from Betty Puttman to Pat Pearcy annotated with room numbers. 
Condition: The 1983 letter and 1984 note show standard horizontal mailing folds; the 1984 and 1987 envelopes show typical postal handling, light edge wear, and faint toning along the seams. The 1985 postcard has a tiny corner bump but remains crisp. All ink signatures and messages are bold, unfaded, and clear. 

PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO & MANUSCRIPT ANNOTATIONS:
+++ Seventeen photographic pieces, headlined by a vintage 8.5 x 11 black-and-white professional performance print by premier dance photographer Tom Caravaglia capturing Honi Coles and Harold Nicholas mid-routine. 
+++ Accompanied by sixteen private candids, multi-shot sequential strips, and dressing room snapshots tracking Coles backstage and on tour, including two duplicate snapshots featuring contemporary ink inscriptions on the reverse in the hand of Betty Puttman dated July 26, 1983. 
+++ Further enhanced by extensive handwritten commentary slips attached to the tour photographs. 
Condition: The Tom Caravaglia silver gelatin print is fine and glossy with sharp corners some minor silvering in the upper left corner.
The seventeen candid color photographs are bright with excellent contrast, though a few show minor silvering or faint surface scuffs visible only under angled light. The attached paper commentary slips are lightly toned at the margins but structurally sound. 

EPHEMERA DOSSIER:
+++ Features a full unclipped 1997 Lincoln Center program flyer for Reel to Real for Kids with an attached handwritten note; 
+++ Original 1992 funeral announcement card from Trumbo's Funeral Chapel; and an original silhouette paper-cut of Coles in mid-stride. 
Condition: The 1997 flyer shows slight edge-toning and a soft horizontal bend from previous storage; the funeral card and silhouette paper-cut are exceptionally clean and well-preserved.

Full Transcriptions of letters, Card, and notes available.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
A foundational architect of twentieth-century American vernacular dance, Charles 'Honi' Coles was the premier master of high-speed rhythm tap. His legendary career seamlessly bridged the big band era of the Apollo Theatre with the historic late-twentieth-century Broadway tap revival, making his stylistic influence permanent and profound.

+++ The Performing Arts Network: The July 1983 correspondence provides vital primary evidence of the tightly knit network of legendary Black tap artists during the twilight of their active careers, explicitly charting the contemporary paths and professional interactions of Bunny Briggs, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, and Coles's longtime partner Charles 'Cholly' Atkins.
+++ The Human Cost of the Stage: The intimate annotations accompanying the personal tour photographs preserve a profound and poignant narrative—documenting the exact moment Coles chose to honor his performance commitments over a critical medical intervention, a fateful decision the archive directly links to his subsequent career-ending stroke.
+++ The Post-Passing Legacy: The 1996 book annotations and the 1997 Paul Condylis tribute flyer note document the immediate, active stewardship of Coles's legacy by his inner circle following his death in 1992, showcasing a grassroots institutional effort to safeguard, index, and secure film records of his life's work.

Subjects: Dance, Performing Arts, African American History, Tap Dance, Broadway Theatre, Ephemera, Archives, Americana, Stage History, Vernacular Dance, Jazz History, Theater History, Autograph Material, Performance Archives.

Item #22069

Price: $1,850.00