Ruth St. Denis – Lecture: “Search For Spiritual Expression” – April 23, 1951 – University of Illinois –
Ruth St. Denis (born Ruth Denis; January 20, 1879 – July 21, 1968) was an American pioneer of modern dance, introducing eastern ideas into the art. She was the co-founder of the American Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts and the teacher of several notable performers.
As a child, Ruth St. Denis learned exercises based on François Delsarte’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 1891 she raised the money to travel briefly to New York, auditioning in the Marwig studio; she was pronounced to have talent, and her mother set about getting her into theatre. In 1892, she witnessed the Delsarte advocate Genevieve Stebbins performing a matinee, The Dance of Day; she described the experience as “the real birth of my art 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, when she saw a poster advertising Egyptian Deities cigarettes. The poster portrayed the Egyptian goddess Isis enthroned in a temple; this image captivated Ruth St. Denis on the spot and inspired her to create dances that expressed the mysticism that the goddess’s image conveyed. From then on, St. Denis was immersed in Oriental philosophies.
In 1911, a young dancer named Ted Shawn saw Ruth 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. 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, Evan-Burrows Fontaine and Charles Weidman also studied at Denishawn. Martha 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.
Here is a lecture Ruth St. Denis delivered to an audience at The University of Illinois on April 23, 1951. The sound can be frustrating at times, since the original recordings were badly damaged, but the importance and historic significance of hearing one of the great figures in Modern dance more than outweighs the shortcomings.
