Ruth St. Denis (born Ruth Denis; January 20, 1879 – July 21, 1968) was an American pioneer of

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

, introducing eastern ideas into the art. She was the co-founder of the American

Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts The Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles, California, helped many perfect their dancing talents and became the first dance academy in the United States to produce a professiona ...

and the teacher of several notable performers.

Biography

Ruth St. Denis was born on January 20, 1879. She was raised on a small farm in New Jersey, daughter of Ruth Emma ( Hull) Denis (a physician by training), and Thomas Laban Denis, an inventor, where she studied both Christian Science and

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

. As a child, she learned exercises based on

François Delsarte François Alexandre Nicolas Chéri Delsarte (19 November 1811 – 20 July 1871) was a French singer, orator, and coach. Though he achieved some success as a composer, he is chiefly known as a teacher in singing and declamation (oratory). Applie ...

's Society Gymnastics and Voice Culture. This was the beginning of St. Denis's dance training, and was instrumental in developing her technique later in life. In 1894, after years of practicing Delsarte poses, she debuted as a skirt dancer for Worth's Family Theatre and Museum. From this modest start, she progressed to touring with an acclaimed producer and director, David Belasco. While touring in Belasco's production of ''Madame DuBarry'' in 1904 her life was changed. She was at a drugstore with another member of Belasco's company in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, when she saw a poster advertising

Egyptian Deities Ancient Egyptian deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of ancient Egyptian religion, which emerged sometime in prehistory. Deities represented natural fo ...

cigarettes. The poster portrayed the Egyptian goddess

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

enthroned in a temple; this image captivated St. Denis on the spot and inspired her to create dances that expressed the

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

that the goddess's image conveyed. From then on, St. Denis was immersed in

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of '' Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

al philosophies. In 1905, St. Denis left Belasco's company to begin her career as a solo artist. It was about this time that she made her first European tour and used the stage name of St. Denis. Late in life she told Paul Hockings, her last research assistant, that she was waiting in a hotel with all the boxes of luggage, just before getting on the liner, when her mother walked around to each box, which had Miss Ruth's name on it, and added ''St.'' The first piece that resulted from her interest in the Orient was ''Radha'' performed in 1906. Drawing from

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and ...

, Radha is the story of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

and his love for a mortal maid. ''Radha'' was originally performed to music from

Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (; 21 February 1836 – 16 January 1891) was a French Romantic composer, best known for his ballets and operas. His works include the ballets ''Coppélia'' (1870) and '' Sylvia'' (1876) and the opera ''Lakm� ...

' opera '' Lakmé''. This piece was a celebration of the five senses and appealed to a contemporary fascination with the Orient. Although her choreography was not culturally accurate or authentic, it was expressive of the themes that St. Denis perceived in Oriental culture and highly entertaining to contemporary audiences. St. Denis believed dance to be a spiritual expression, and her choreography reflected this idea. Ruth St Denis in Egypta 1910 (cropped)

In 1911, a young dancer named

Ted Shawn Ted Shawn (born Edwin Myers Shawn; October 21, 1891 – January 9, 1972) was a male pioneer of American modern dance. He created the Denishawn School together with his wife Ruth St. Denis. After their separation he created the all-male company T ...

saw St. Denis perform in Denver; it was artistic love at first sight. In 1914, Shawn applied to be her student, and soon became her artistic partner and husband. Together they founded Denishawn, the "cradle of American modern dance." One of her more famous pupils was

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She ...

. Together St. Denis and Shawn founded the Los Angeles Denishawn school in 1915. Students studied ballet movements without shoes, ethnic and folk dances, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and Delsarte gymnastics. In 1916 they created a collection of dances inspired by Egypt, which included ''Tillers of the Soil'', a duet between St. Denis and Shawn, as well as ''Pyrrhic Dance'', an all-male dance piece. Her exploration of the Orient continued into 1923 when she staged ''Ishtar of the Seven Gates'' in which she portrayed a Babylonian goddess. Together St. Denis and Shawn toured throughout the 1910s and 1920s, often performing their works on the vaudeville stage. Other notable dancers such as Doris Humphrey,

Lillian Powell Lillian Ruth Powell (May 29, 1896 – May 31, 1992) was a Canadian-born American Denishawn-trained dancer who performed in early experimental silent film musicals. She would later teach dance and physical education before embarking on a nearly ...

Evan-Burrows Fontaine Evan-Burrows Fontaine (October 3, 1898 – December 27, 1984) was an American Denishawn-trained interpretive dancer and actress whose career suffered after she became entangled in a breach of promise lawsuit with a member of one of America's ...

and

Charles Weidman Charles Weidman (July 22, 1901 – July 15, 1975) was a renowned choreographer, modern dancer and teacher. He is well known as one of the pioneers of modern dance in America. He wanted to break free from the traditional movements of dance for ...

also studied at Denishawn. Graham, Humphrey, Weidman and the future silent film star Louise Brooks all performed as dancers with the Denishawn company. At Denishawn, St. Denis served as inspiration to her young students, while Shawn taught the technique classes. Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn were also instrumental in creating the legendary dance festival Jacob's Pillow. Although Denishawn had crumbled by 1930, St. Denis continued to dance, teach and choreograph independently as well as in collaboration with other artists. St. Denis no longer redirected her works from the mysteries of the Orient to combining religion and dance through her Rhythmic Choir of Dancers. Through these works it is said that St. Denis sought to become the Virgin Mary in the same manner in which she once sought to become goddesses. In 1938 St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program, one of the first dance departments in an American university. It has since become a cornerstone of Adelphi's Department of Performing Arts. She cofounded a second school in 1940, the School of Nataya, which focused on teaching Oriental dance. For many years St. Denis taught dance at her studio, which was located at 3433 Cahuenga Boulevard West (near Universal City). On Sunday, September 16, 1962, she teamed with impresario Raymond D. Bowman to present a full-length Balinese shadow puppet performance (Wayang Kulit) at her studio, which lasted more than 8 hours. It was the first such performance in the United States.

Death and legacy

St. Denis died of a heart attack on July 21, 1968, aged 89, at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles. Her legacy included not only her repertory of orient-inspired dances, but also students of Denishawn who later became pivotal figures in the world of modern dance. Many companies currently include a collection of her signature solos in their repertoires, including the programme, "The Art of the Solo", a showcase of famous solos of modern dance pioneers. Several early St. Denis solos (including "Incense" and "The Legend of the Peacock") were presented on September 29, 2006, at the Baltimore Museum of Art. A centennial salute was scheduled with the revival premiere of St. Denis' "Radha", commissioned by Countess Anastasia Thamakis of Greece. The program's director, Mino Nicolas, has been instrumental in the revival of these key solos. St. Denis was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame in 1987. The global organization and activity, the

Dances of Universal Peace The Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) are a spiritual practice that employs singing and dancing the sacred phrases of the world's religions. Their intention is to raise consciousness and promote peace between diverse religions according to one stat ...

, credits Ruth St. Denis for much of the inspiration behind its creation. The Dances of Universal Peace organization subsequently published many of St. Denis's writings on spiritual dance and the mysticism of the body.Miller. Kamae A., ed. (1997). ''Wisdom Comes Dancing: Selected Writings of Ruth St. Denis on Dance, Spirituality and the Body''. Seattle: PeaceWorks. Her students in turn taught their own students, spreading her influence through generations of modern dancers: *Ruth St. Denis **

—''Shawn Fundamentals'' ** Denishawn (school and company) *** Doris Humphrey and

—''The Art of Making Dances'' (Humphrey) ****

Humphrey-Weidman Humphrey-Weidman is a modern dance technique consisting of "fall" and "recovery" (losing and regaining equilibrium) that was invented by Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1928 Humphrey and Weidman founded a dance school to teach their technique ...

school—''Humphrey-Weidman technique (fall and recovery)'' *****

José Limón José Arcadio Limón (January 12, 1908 – December 2, 1972) was a dancer and choreographer from Mexico and who developed what is now known as 'Limón technique'. In the 1940s, he founded the José Limón Dance Company (now the Limón Dan ...

—''Limón technique'' ***

—''Graham technique'' (and Louis Horst) **** Erick Hawkins (via

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

)—Hawkins technique **** Anna Sokolow ****

May O'Donnell May O'Donnell (May 1, 1906 – February 1, 2004) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Born in Sacramento, California, May O'Donnell studied dance in San Francisco with Estelle Reed and performed in Reed's company before moving to New Y ...

**** Merce Cunningham—''Cunningham technique'' (also see Postmodern dance) ***** Yvonne Rainer *****

Margaret Jenkins Margaret Jenkins (born 1942) is a postmodern dance, postmodern choreography, choreographer based in San Francisco, California. She was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1980 and in 2003, San Francisco mayor, Willie Brown (politician), Willie Brown, declared ...

*****

Steve Paxton Steve Paxton (born 1939 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an experimental dancer and choreographer. His early background was in gymnastics while his later training included three years with Merce Cunningham and a year with José Limón. As a founding me ...

***** Richard Alston **** Paul Taylor *****

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

****

Trisha Brown Trisha Brown (November 25, 1936 – March 18, 2017) was an American choreographer and dancer, and one of the founders of the Judson Dance Theater and the postmodern dance movement. Brown’s dance/movement method, with which she and her dancers ...

****

Ohad Naharin Ohad () was the third son of Simeon; he is mentioned in Genesis 46:10. Ohad may also refer to: __NOTOC__ People Surname * Daniella Ohad, American design historian Given name * Ohad Benchetrit, Canadian musician * Ohad Cohen, goalkeeper for Hapo ...

Works

Books

* ''Lotus Light. Poems''. Boston/New York, 1932. * ''An Unfinished Life: an Autobiography''. Dance Horizons Republication, Brooklyn, New York, 1969.

Articles

* "Ballet of the States". ''Dance Chronicle. Studies in Dance and the Related Arts.'' Volume 20, Issue 1/1997, pp. 52–60. * "Dance as spiritual expression". Rogers, Frederick Rand (ed.): ''Dance: A Basic Educational Technique. A Functional Approach to the Use of Rhythmics and Dance as Prime Methods of Body Development and Control, and Transformation of Moral and Social Behaviour.'' Dance Horizons Inc., New York 1980, pp. 100–111, . * "The Dance as Life Experience". Brown, Jean Morrison (ed.): ''The Vision of Modern Dance.'' Princeton Book Company, Princeton/New Jersey 1979, pp. 21–25, . * "Religious Manifestations in the Dance". Sorell, Walter (ed.): ''The Dance has many Faces.'' Columbia University Press, New York/London 1968, pp. 12–18, . * "Freedom. A Rhythmic Interpretation". ''Dance Observer.'' Volume 23, Issue 1/1956, pp. 6–7. * "What is Religious Dance?" ''Dance Observer.'' Volume 17, Issue 5/1950, pp. 68–69. * "Seeds of a New Order". Division of Higher Education of the Board of Education of the United Methodist Church (ed.): ''Motive.'' Volume 8, Issue 7/1948, pp. 28–29. * "My Vision". ''Dance Observer.'' Volume 7, Issue 3/1940, pp. 33, 42. * "The Dance of the East". ''Theatre Arts Monthly. The International Magazine of Theatre and Screen.'' August 1927, pp. 605–612.

References

External links

Society Gymnastics and Voice Culture.

Guide to the Clarence McGehee Collection on Ruth St. Denis.
Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Guide to the Photograph Collection on Ruth St. Denis.
Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.

University Archives and Special Collections, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York.

University Archives and Special Collections, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York.
Archive footage of Ruth St. Denis performing in ''Liebestraum'' in 1949 at Jacob's Pillow.

* ttp://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/ruth-st-denis Archive footage of Ruth St. Denis performing "The Delirium of the Senses" from Radha in 1941 at Jacob's Pillow
Europa
(Ruth St. Denis in Europe: by Sandra Meinzenbach; German language)
Ruth St. Denis (1879–1968). America’s Divine Dancer
(by Thom Hecht)
Ruth St. Denis: In Search of a Goddess
(by Mary Manning/Adelphi University)
Images from the St. Denis (Ruth) Papers.
Library Special Collections, UCLA Library
Ruth St. Denis – Broadway PhotographsRadio interview with Ruth St. Denis
a
The WNYC Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Denis, Ruth 1879 births 1968 deaths Adelphi University faculty American choreographers American dancers American female dancers American women choreographers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Dancers from New Jersey Dancers from New York (state) Modern dancers People associated with physical culture Vaudeville performers American women academics