Ailes Gilmour facts for kids

Ailes Gilmour (born January 27, 1912 – died April 16, 1993) was an amazing Japanese American dancer. She was one of the first people to help create the Modern Dance style in America during the 1930s. Ailes was also one of the first dancers to join Martha Graham's famous dance company. Her older half-brother was the well-known sculptor Isamu Noguchi.

Growing Up in Japan and America

Ailes Gilmour was born in 1912 in Yokohama, Japan. Her mother, Léonie Gilmour, was a writer who had studied in Paris and New York. Léonie moved to Japan in 1907. Ailes' older half-brother, Isamu Noguchi, was born there in 1904.

Ailes grew up in a Japanese-style house in Chigasaki, a town near Yokohama. She had many Japanese friends. Ailes spoke both Japanese and English. She felt very connected to Japan during her childhood.

In 1920, when Ailes was 8, she and her mother moved to the United States. They first lived in San Francisco. Later, they moved to New York City.

A Good Education

Léonie Gilmour believed in a special kind of learning called progressive education. She sent Ailes to the Ethical Culture Society elementary school in New York. This school was known for its new ways of teaching.

For high school, Ailes went to the Cherry Lawn School in Connecticut. This was a boarding school. It was also known for its progressive and coeducational program. Ailes really enjoyed her time there. She made many friends she kept for the rest of her life.

In 1928, Ailes was the literary editor for her school's student magazine, The Cherry Pit. After graduating in 1929, she received a scholarship. This allowed her to study dance and performing arts at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

Becoming a Modern Dancer

At the Neighborhood Playhouse, Ailes met the young and talented Martha Graham. Martha Graham was just starting her own professional dance group. Ailes became one of its first members.

Ailes Gilmour is also known for introducing Martha Graham to her half-brother, Isamu Noguchi, in 1929. Noguchi later created a bronze statue of Graham.

Dancing During Tough Times

The 1930s were a difficult time in America, known as the Great Depression. Many artists and dancers, like Ailes Gilmour and Isamu Noguchi, found it hard to find work.

In 1932, Ailes performed with Martha Graham's company at the grand opening of Radio City Music Hall in New York. Their dance piece was called Choric Patterns. It only played for one week. Ailes later said that Radio City Music Hall became successful only when it showed movies and featured the famous Rockettes.

Working with Other Dancers

During the 1930s, Ailes Gilmour also performed with dancer and choreographer Bill Matons. Matons led an "experimental unit" of the New Dance League. This group included other dancers who would later become famous, like José Limón and Charles Weidman.

In 1937, Ailes and Matons performed in a special show. It was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at the Brooklyn Museum. The WPA was a government program that helped people find jobs during the Depression. In 1939, they were in a Broadway musical called Adelante, also supported by the WPA.

Later Life

In 1948, Ailes Gilmour married an anthropologist named Herbert J. Spinden. They had a son named Joseph.

Ailes Gilmour passed away on April 16, 1993, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was eighty-one years old.