Shawn in Frohsinn (credit: Pictorial Parade)
For more information on Ted Shawn, visit Britannica.com.
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Ted Shawn |
For more information on Ted Shawn, visit Britannica.com.
| Dictionary of Dance: Ted Shawn |
Shawn, Ted (b Kansas City, 21 Oct. 1891, d Orlando, Fla., 9 Jan. 1972). US dancer, teacher, and choreographer. He began studying ballet in Denver in order to recover his strength after an illness and made his first public appearance as a dancer there in 1911. He opened a dance school in Los Angeles where he appeared in one of the very first dance films, Dance of the Ages. During 1914 he toured with a small company and in New York he met and married Ruth St Denis. They toured together as partners, then in 1915 founded Denishawn. Both as a school and a company this was seminal in the development of American Modern Dance. The company toured widely until it was disbanded in 1931 after his separation from St Denis. He formed his own Company of Male Dancers in 1933, partly with the aim of countering popular prejudice against men dancing. His choreography drew on folk, aboriginal, and popular American material. In 1933 he also bought a farm in Massachusetts called Jacob's Pillow which he turned into a dance studio. After disbanding his company in 1940 he became director of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and summer school which was to become the most important American dance festival, offering teaching courses and performances in many aspects of dance. He continued to perform until he was over 70. He was a prolific choreographer, creating around 190 works for Denishawn which included many solos and duets for himself and St Denis, as well as group works such as Prometheus Bound (mus. Scriabin, 1929). He also choreographed over 50 works for his own male company, including Kinetic Molpai (1935). He wrote many books including Ruth St Denis: Pioneer and Prophet (1920), Gods Who Dance (1929), Every Little Movement (1954), and also his autobiography (with Gray Poole), One Thousand and One Night Stands (1960).
Dictionary:
Shawn (shôn) , Ted
|
American dancer and choreographer noted for his partnership with Ruth Saint Denis. Together they founded the Denishawn Dance School (1915), for which he choreographed works based on Native American themes.
| WordNet: Ted Shawn |
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
United States dancer and choreographer who collaborated with Ruth Saint Denis (1891-1972)
Synonym: Shawn
| Wikipedia: Ted Shawn |
Ted Shawn (21 October 1891 — 9 January, 1972), originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers. With his innovative ideas of masculine movement he is one of the most influential choreographers and dancers of his day. He is also the founder and creator of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts.
Contents |
Ted Shawn was born in Kansas City MO, USA on 21 October 1891 at 10:39 [1] . and in 1912 graduated from the University of Denver where he had original intentions of becoming a minister. It was there that Shawn’s battles with diphtheria lead him into the world of dance as an outlet to regain muscle strength. It wasn’t until marrying wife Ruth St. Denis in 1914 that Shawn realized his true potential as an artist.[2] St. Denis served not only as partner but an extremely valuable creative outlet to Shawn. Soon after the marriage the couple opened the first Denishawn School in Los Angeles, California where the two were able to choreograph and stage many of their famous vaudeville pieces. [3] The following year Shawn launched a cross-country tour with his dance partner, Norma Gould, and their Interpretive Dancers. Julnar of the Sea, Xochitl, and Les Mysteres Dionysiaques are just a few notable performances choreographed by Shawn during Denishawn’s seventeen year run.[4] Throughout the duration of his school and company he produced some of the most influential dancers for the next generations, including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman.[5]
Together, Shawn and Ruth St. Denis established the principle of Music Visualization in modern dance —- a concept that called for movement equivalents to the timbres, dynamics, and structural shapes of music in addition to its rhythmic base. In 1916 and 1917 Shawn choreographed the first of these, Inventions and Fugues to Bach, as classroom exercises. Soon after, St. Denis presented works using music visualization techniques to the public.[6]
Although Denishawn came to an end in 1929 due to tough circumstances both in Shawn’s and St. Denis’ marriage as well as the economy, Shawn’s second dance group Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers were soon to follow in his dancing career.[7] The new all male company was based out of Massachusetts near his then home of Lee. In creating this company Shawn was hoping to make America become more aware, and accept the importance and dedication of the male dancer along with his role in the arts. It was with this new company that Shawn produced some of his most controversial and highly skilled choreography to date. With works such as Ponca Indian Dance, Sinhalse Devil Dance, Maori War Haka, Hopi Indian Eagle Dance, and Dyak Spear Dances he was able to showcase performances that all stressed the male body movement.[8] His love for the relationships created by the men in his dances soon translated into love between him and one of his company members Barton Mumaw which lasted from 1931- 1948. He also had another partner following Mumaw, John Christian whom he was with from 1949 until his death in 1972.[9]
With this new company came the creation of Jacob's Pillow, a dance school, retreat, and theater. Shawn and his men used this space as a place to hold teas as well as a place to perform. These teas soon transformed into the festival that is so widely known to this day, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.[10]. Shawn also used this new space to develop his choreography and teach. Jacob’s Pillow has since become one of the largest and most respected dance festivals, with performances and guests from some of the most prominent companies in the world. Having a place where anybody could come and show their work without restrictions or biasness is something that Shawn fought for and gladly wanted to share with others. The creation of Jacob’s Pillow has allowed this to happen .[11] Along with Jacob's Pillow came the opening of The School of Dance for Men which is when he met his accomplishment of having male dancing making its way into colleges nationwide. Being able to have his work and stylized male choreography be respected so much to where it was then introduced to universities was a huge step for Shawn. Shawn made his last appearance on stage in the Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow in his performance of Siddhas of the Upper Air where he reunited with St. Denis. Shawn and St. Denis danced on their 50th anniversary at the Casino in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Saratoga Springs is now the home of the National Museum of Dance, the world's only museum dedicated to professional dance. Shawn was still teaching classes at Jacob’s Pillow just months before his death at the age of 80.[12]
The following quote is attributed to Ted Shawn: "I believe that dance communicates man’s deepest, highest and most truly spiritual thoughts and emotions far better than words, spoken or written."
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers (1986 Dance Film) | |
| Saint Denis, Ruth (American choreographer and pioneer) | |
| Kinetic Molpai (modern dance) |
Copyrights:
![]() | Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Dictionary of Dance. The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Copyright © 2000, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ted Shawn". Read more |
Mentioned in