Ruth St. Denis
Ruth Saint Denis, born Ruth Dennis, ( born January 20, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey; † July 21, 1968 in Hollywood ) was an American dancer, choreographer and teacher.
Biography
Theosophy and American transcendentalism influenced Ruth St. Denis in the early years. Later she came to terms with Buddhism, Christian Science, Vedanta and the teachings of Léonide Ouspensky ( 1902-1987 ). First art lessons she got through her mother, who taught by the method of François Delsarte. This Delsarte system formed largely the basis of their dance technique. When Karl Marwig she learned Spanish dance, ballet and pointe at Ernestina Bossi at Marie Bonfanti. At 15, she began her career as Rock Dancer in Wjorth 's Family Theatre and Museum and then has appeared in various other New York theaters in the area of Vaudeville alternately as a " Spanish dancer ", " High kicker " or as acrobatic dancer on.
David Belasco hired her in March 1900 for a guest appearance his piece Zaza in London. She played the next four years in his productions as Madame Du Barry and The Auctioneer. A cigarette poster as a goddess Isis, she impressed sustained and inspired her in 1906 to their first dance of creation Radha, Dance of the five senses, which they unveiled at the New York Theatre on January 28, 1906. In the same year came The Incense and The Cobras. My first and only stay in Europe began in the summer of 1906 in London's Aldwych Theatre. Auguste Rodin she drew during her guest appearance at the Paris Théâtre Marigny.
Great successes they celebrated especially in Berlin ( Komische Oper and conservatory ) and in Vienna, where Hugo von Hofmannsthal published his essay The incomparable dancer about it. On February 9, 1908 showed there at the Ronacher Palace their new dances The Yogi and The Nautch. In the summer of 1909 she returned to New York City and took the first of many recurring American tours.
Your full-length dance production Egypta was premiered on 12 December 1910 at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. In 1913 she created the Japanese dance dramas O- Mika and Bakawali by tales of Lafcadio Hearn. In 1914 she married the ten -years-younger former theology students Ted Shawn and founded by him in 1915 in Los Angeles, the Denishawn dance school.
They shared an interest in religious dance. One of their joint ventures was Dance Pageant of Egypta, Greece and India (1916). Their influence on modern dance in America strengthened sustained by their students, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidmann. The influence of the Denishawn school in the early American cinema is unmistakable. Almost all Hollywood studios sent their stars to Denishawn. Ruth choreographed inter alia personally the Babylonian dances in David Griffiths epic film Intolerance (1916).
With her ensemble took both 1925/26, a major tour in the Far East. In addition to group pieces, created Ruth continues to solo dances like The Spirit Of The Sea, White Jade, Angkor Vat. After the dissolution of Denishawn (1931 ) Madonnas such as Masque of Mary ( 1934) were her theme. She published her 1932 volume of poetry, Lotus Light, and in 1939 they released their biography An Unfinished Life.
Together with La Meri (Russell Meriwether Hughes ) St. Denis founded her - the oriental dance undertook - School of Natya. The dance critic Walter Terry described Ruth as "the first lady of American Dance".
In 1942, she moved to Hollywood. In the 40s and 50s Phillip Baribault filmed several dances. Your last performance she gave in May 1966 Incense Orange Coast College in California. She died on July 21, 1968 in Hollywood.
Works
- Lotus light. Poems, Houghton Mifflin, New York 1932
- Radha. An East Indian idyl, a Hindoo play in one act without words, New York 1905
- Unfinished life. An autobiography, Dance Horizons, New York 1939
- Wisdom comes dancing. Dance, spirituality and body, Santiago -Verlag, Goch 2002, ISBN 3-9806468-7-4