Ruth St. Denis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth St. Denis
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Ruth Denis
January 20, 1879 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | July 21, 1968 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Modern dance |
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Ruth St. Denis (born Ruth Denis; January 20, 1879 – July 21, 1968) was an American dancer. She was a pioneer of modern dance. She brought new ideas from Eastern cultures into dance. Ruth St. Denis helped start the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. This school taught many famous dancers.
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About Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis was born on January 20, 1879. Her parents were Ruth Emma Denis and Thomas Laban Denis. She grew up on a farm in New Jersey. As a child, she loved to create plays. She often pretended to faint dramatically for her friends.
Ruth learned exercises based on François Delsarte's ideas. These exercises helped her develop her unique dance style later on. In 1894, she started her dance career. She performed as a skirt dancer in a theater.
Her life changed in 1904 while she was touring. She saw a poster for "Egyptian Deities" cigarettes. The poster showed the Egyptian goddess Isis. This image deeply inspired St. Denis. It made her want to create dances that showed the mystery of Eastern cultures. From then on, she became very interested in Eastern philosophies.
In 1905, St. Denis became a solo artist. She started using the stage name "St. Denis." She went on her first European tour around this time.
Early Dances and Eastern Inspiration
Her first dance inspired by the East was Radha in 1906. This dance was based on Hindu stories. It told the story of Krishna and a milkmaid. Radha celebrated the five senses. It was very popular because people were fascinated by the East.
Even though her dances were not always exactly like traditional Eastern dances, they were very expressive. They showed the themes St. Denis saw in Eastern culture. Audiences loved them. St. Denis believed dance was a way to show spiritual feelings. Her dances always reflected this idea.
Denishawn School and Famous Students
In 1911, a young dancer named Ted Shawn saw St. Denis perform. They quickly became artistic partners. In 1914, they got married. Together, they started Denishawn in 1915. This school became very important for American modern dance.
At Denishawn, students learned different dance styles. They studied ballet without shoes, folk dances, and special exercises. Many famous dancers studied there. One of her most famous students was Martha Graham. Other notable dancers included Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman.
In 1916, St. Denis and Shawn created dances inspired by Egypt. These included Tillers of the Soil. In 1923, St. Denis performed Ishtar of the Seven Gates. In this dance, she played a Babylonian goddess. St. Denis and Shawn toured a lot in the 1910s and 1920s. They often performed their dances in vaudeville shows.
St. Denis inspired her young students at Denishawn. Ted Shawn taught the technical dance classes. Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn also helped create the famous dance festival Jacob's Pillow.
Later Life and Continued Influence
The Denishawn school closed around 1930. But St. Denis kept dancing, teaching, and creating new dances. She started to combine religion and dance in her "Rhythmic Choir of Dancers." She wanted to express spiritual ideas through her art.
In 1938, St. Denis started the dance program at Adelphi University. This was one of the first dance departments in an American university. In 1940, she co-founded another school called the School of Nataya. This school focused on teaching Oriental dance. For many years, St. Denis taught dance at her studio in Los Angeles.
Death and Legacy
Ruth St. Denis passed away on July 21, 1968, at the age of 89.
Her legacy is huge. She created many beautiful dances inspired by the East. More importantly, her students from Denishawn became very important figures in modern dance. Many dance companies still perform her famous solo dances today.
In 1987, St. Denis was added to the National Museum of Dance's Hall of Fame.
The global group, the Dances of Universal Peace, says Ruth St. Denis inspired them a lot. This group later published many of St. Denis's writings about spiritual dance.
Her influence spread through generations of dancers. Her students taught their own students, and so on:
- Ruth St. Denis
- Ted Shawn
- Denishawn (school and company)
- Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman
- Martha Graham
- Erick Hawkins
- Anna Sokolow
- May O'Donnell
- Merce Cunningham
*Yvonne Rainer *Margaret Jenkins *Steve Paxton *Richard Alston
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- Trisha Brown
- Ohad Naharin
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Works
Books
- Lotus Light. Poems. Boston/New York, 1932.
- An Unfinished Life: an Autobiography. Dance Horizons Republication, Brooklyn, New York, 1969.
See also
In Spanish: Ruth Saint Denis para niños
- List of dancers
- Sada Yacco
- Ted Shawn
- Isadora Duncan
- Modern dance
- Women in dance
- Rue Saint-Denis (Paris) (homonym)
- Edna Guy
