Edward Stierle Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection is comprised of photographs, ephemera, published materials, and newspaper articles dedicated to the career and legacy of Edward “Eddie” Stierle. Materials document his competition wins, enrollment as a high school student at the North Carolina School of the Arts, career with the Joffrey Ballet, and his death from AIDS complications in 1991. Memorial items and other material collected after his death are also included.
The collection includes programs from NCSA productions in which Stierle participated, including the 1984 production of The Nutcracker and the 1985 Winter Dance. Newspaper articles in this collection span 1984-1995 and cover his competition wins and career with the Joffrey Ballet, his fight with AIDS and his dances Lacrymosa and Empyrean Dances, obituaries, memorials, and pieces on the effect of the AIDS crisis on the arts. Many photos of Stierle, especially during his career with the Joffrey Ballet, are included along with a biography of Stierle written by Dianne Solway in 1994, A Dance Against Time. A handwritten timeline of his accomplishments is also included.
Dates
- 1984-2006
Creator
- Stierle, Edward, 1968-1991 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. UNCSA is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Biographical / Historical
Edward “Eddie” John Stierle was born in Hollywood, Florida on 2 March 1968 to William and Rose Stierle. He began studying dance as a child and enrolled in the North Carolina School of the Arts high school dance program in 1983, where he was a student of Duncan Noble and Melissa Hayden. In January 1985 he won the gold medal at the Prix de Lausanne international ballet competition, the second American to do so. After graduating from NCSA in 1986, Stierle won the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. That year, at the invitation of Robert Joffrey, he became the youngest dancer to join the Joffrey Ballet. His first choreographed work, Lacrymosa, dedicated to Robert Joffrey, was a response to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Edward was diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 1987. Stierle returned to NCSA's campus in 1989 to perform Lacrymosa and choreograph Concerto Con Brio for that year's Winter Dance. He choreographed one other ballet, Empyrean Dances, which premiered at the Lincoln Center three days before his death. Edward Stierle passed away on March 8, 1991 at the age of 23.
After his death, in April 1991, NCSA established a scholarship in Stierle's memory. In May 2001 the dance student lounge at NCSA was dedicated to his memory and renamed the Edward J. Stierle Student Lounge.
Extent
.5 Linear Feet (2 narrow document boxes, 7 oversized folders, 1 book)
42 Photographic Prints
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection is comprised of photographs, ephemera, published materials, and newspaper articles dedicated to the career and legacy of Edward “Eddie” Stierle. Materials document his competition wins, enrollment as a high school student at the North Carolina School of the Arts, career with the Joffrey Ballet, and his death from AIDS complications in 1991. Memorial items and other material collected after his death are also included.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into three series: Series 1. Personal Papers; Series 2. Photographs; Series 3. Books, Magazines, and Newspaper Articles. Items have been arranged chronologically within each series.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials appear to have been donated in several deposits by Edward's mother, Rose Stierle, between 2000 and 2010.
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2018 have not been recorded. In 2021, the collection was arranged into series based on format, with folder titles supplied by the archivist. Materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.
- AIDS (Disease) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- AIDS (Disease) and art Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Ballet Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Choreography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Empyrean dances (Choreographic work : Stierle) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Joffrey Ballet
- Lacrymosa (Choreographic work : Stierle) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Performing arts Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Printed ephemera Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Prix de Lausanne
- Programs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Sexual minorities Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- USA International Ballet Competition Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges -- Alumni and alumnae Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts. School of Dance
- Title
- Guide to the Edward Stierle Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Laura Silva
- Date
- June 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2021-06-01: Edited by Laura Silva to include folder-level descriptions and to reflect arrangement after processing.
Repository Details
Part of the UNC School of the Arts Archives Repository
