NAME: Horvath, Ian (Ernie)

BIRTH DATE/LOCATION:
c. 1946, Cleveland

DEATH DATE/LOCATION:
5 January 1990, St. Vincent's Hospital, New York City, age 46

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Photo: Zachary Freyman, courtesy Zachary Freyman Collection, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

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  • identification & bio
  • key contact
  • human repositories
  • video documentation
  • photographic documentation
    		•
  • movement notation
  • production materials
  • oral history
  • personal papers
  • immediate needs
    		•
  • other relevant information
  • overview of works
  • bibliography
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    IDENTIFICATION AND BIO:
    Over the course of a distinguished career, Ernie Horvath worked as a modern and ballet dancer, producing director of the Limon Dance Foundation, co-founder of Cleveland Ballet, soloist with the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theater, and associate director of the Carlisle Project. He was also a choreographer whose final work, No Dominion (1988), for the Limon company dealt directly with his AIDS-related illness. Beginning his dance training with Charles Nicoll in Cleveland, Horvath went on to study at the School of American Ballet, with the Joffrey, Ballet Theater, and the Ballet Russe. In 1964, he joined Joffrey, and created roles in Arpino's Viva Vivaldi! and Olympics. In 1967, he moved to ABT to dance, and in 1972 to Cleveland Ballet to assume the artistic director position. He left Cleveland Ballet in 1983. As a spokesperson for people with AIDS, Horvath was instrumental in organizing Dancing for Life, a benefit at the New York State Theater in September 1987.

    KEY CONTACT PERSON(S)/EXECUTOR OF ESTATE:
    Survived by his parents, Helen and Ernie Horvath, brother, Jimmy, and sister, Debby, all of Tucson, Arizona. At Horvath's death, Rodger Max Barrow was noted as Horvath's companion. He is now deceased.

    Nancy Bertossa, marketing director
    Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley
    (Formerly San Jose Cleveland Ballet)
    408-288-2820 x 209 (phone)
    408-993-9570 (fax)
    nbertossa@balletsanjose.org

    HUMAN REPOSITORIES OF THE WORK
    (name and contact info, relationship to the artist and the work, assessment):
    Dancers who performed the works in various companies, especially the newly named Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, formerly San Jose Cleveland Ballet.

    VIDEO DOCUMENTATION
    (location, format, condition, assessment):
    The Dance Collection of the New York Public Library houses the following videotape:

    Limon Dance Company (198-?)—promotional videotape, consisting of excerpts from five works in the company's repertory including Ian Horvath's No Dominion; produced by ARC Videodance; videotaped onstage, location and date not identified; camera, Jeff Bush directed and edited by Louis Falco; Artistic director; one 3/4 in. videocassette (9 min.); call number MGZIC 9-5671.

    PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION
    (location, format, condition, assessment):
    Also at the New York Public Library:

    Horvath, Ian [Oversize photographs] call number MGZEAO.

    MOVEMENT NOTATION
    (location, type [including notes taken by dancers], assessment):
    None identified.

    PRODUCTION MATERIALS
    (scores, sound recordings, set/costume designs):
    None identified.

    ORAL HISTORY:
    At the New York Public Library Dance Collection:

    Horvath, Ian, interviewee (1979)—interview with Ian Horvath; 255 leaves; 28 cm.; call number MGZMT 5-703.

    Interview with Ian Horvath (1979)—sound recording; Ian Horvath interviewed by Peter Conway on 8 and 9 February in New York; two sound tape reels (4 hours, 44 min.); call number MGZT 5-703.

    Interview with Ian Horvath and Dennis Nahat (1977)—sound recording; interview conducted by Walter Terry 1977 in Cleveland, Ohio; one sound cassette (35 min.); call number MGZTC 3-828.

    PERSONAL PAPERS
    (location of newspaper clippings, printed programs, press releases, notes, files, diaries; assessment):
    None identified.

    IMMEDIATE NEEDS
    (archival assistance? storage? other?):
    Search for executor.

    OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:
    Horvath was associate director of the Carlisle Project for ballet choreography, chairman of the board of Dance/USA, a dance panelist for the NEA council, and a consultant to City Center. His various Broadway performances included roles in Funny Girl, and Fade Out-Fade In. His final performance was in 1988 at City Center, in a piece titled Together with Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones.

    LIST OR OVERVIEW OF WORKS
    (title, premiere date, music, production notes, performers):
    In December 2000, Norton Owen of the Limon Dance Company promises a complete list of Horvath's work. This culled from the repertory spreadsheet provided by San Jose Cleveland Ballet, now Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley:

    Budwings (1976?)—music by Ravel.

    Laura's Women (1976?)—music by Laura Nyro.

    U.S. (1976?)—co-choreographed by Dennis Nahat and Ian Horvath; music by Ferdinand, Morton, Winter, and Hancock, arranged by Dick Hyman and John Charles.

    Ozone Hour (1978?)—co-choreographed by Dennis Nahat and Ian Horvath; commissioned music by Henrickson.

    Piano Man (1982?)—commissioned music by Hyman.

    Terre ´ Terre (n.d.)—Pacific Northwest Ballet.

    Matrix (n.d.)—Pacific Northwest Ballet.

    Le Sacre du Printemps (n.d.)—Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas.

    No Dominion (1988)—Limon Dance Company.

    BIBLIOGRAPHY:

    • Dunning, Jennifer. 1990. "Ian Horvath, Dancer, Dies at 46; A Founder of the Cleveland Ballet." New York Times (6 January).
    • Goodman, Saul. 1971. "Ian Horvath: brief biography." Dance Magazine (September): 66-67, illus.
    • Hardy, Camille. 1985. "Crisis at midlife: Ian Horvath hangs up the shoes. Horvath discusses his years with the Cleveland Ballet and his future as a free-lance choreographer. Dance Magazine (August): 48-51, illus.
    • Moore, Don, Brenda Way, and Cora Cahan. 1990. "Ian (Ernie) Horvath" [obituary and reminiscences]. Update Dance/USA (January/February).
    • Salisbury, Wilma. 1978. "Cleveland-Akron: Cleveland Ballet premieres Ian Horvath's Ozone hour." Dance Magazine (August): 75-76.
    • Simpson, Herbert M. 1978. "Ian Horvath and Dennis Nahat: a working partnership." Dance Magazine (May): 78-81. illus.
         		 
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