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TAPS1330 Archiving the Ephemeral: Celebrating Ten Years of the Bryson Collection

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The Denishawn Magazine
"The Denishawn Magazine: A Quarterly Review Devoted to the Art of Dance" highlights a variety of different aspects of the world renowned company. With information such as a history of Denishawn, a list company members, and dances of the time, the magazine is rich with insight into the inner workings of the group.

The issues contain items such as news about Denishawn, information on their tour, and articles written by Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis or other members. In each issue, Shawn writes one section of his four part “The History of the Art of Dancing.” Other articles include reviews of dances, or other more informative pieces such as “The Art of Gesture” by Katharine Edson (issue 1) or “Fundamentalism in the Dance” By Ted Shawn (issue 3). In addition to these large ideas of a dance, the magazine also includes some sections closer to the company. In issue 3 there is a section on “Social Sidelights on the Denishawn Tour” where they mention the unique experiences they had in certain cities while on tour, such as picnicking at Sabina Canyon in Tucson, Arizona or reuniting with Shawn’s fraternity brothers in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In issue 1 there is an overview of the company members of the time as well as an alumni section that highlights the progress of Denishawn alumni, like Martha Graham.

Many of the members during the 1924-1925 season went on to become extremely successful in the dance world as well:
Anne Douglas
Douglas "accidentally got into dancing. It was all I knew, so it was all I did" (Bell). She would take classes when she was not touring with her father's animal carnival. Douglas joined the Denishawn company at 17 and toured for over a decade. Douglas "said she was on her flamboyant dance tours of the Orient when she first felt the call of the loom” (Bell) and since then has become an incredibly coveted and renowned weaver.

Charles Weidman
In 1920 Weidman "received a scholarship to study at the Ruth St. Denis School of the Dance and Its Related Arts in Los Angeles. In return, he was to help with teaching and making costumes for Denishawn” (Thom). Weidman went on to become one of the most important members of the company through his talent for performing, teaching, and choreography. Weidman started a company with Doris Humphrey and “Humphrey-Weidman Concert Company became one of the major forces in modern dance during the 1930s and 1940s” (Thom)

Pauline Lawrence
When she graduated high school, Lawrence began as a pianist with Denishawn. She also danced minor roles throughout her time on the company. Lawrence joined Charles Weidman and Doris Humphry as they left Denishawn and "served as pianist, conductor of the orchestra, business manager, and costume designer” (American Ballet Theatre) for the Humphrey-Weidman Company. She went on to marry José Limón, another pioneer of modern dance, and worked with him on the creation and development of his company (American Ballet Theatre).

Georgia (Geordie) Graham
Graham followed in her older sister, Martha's footsteps and was a part of the Denishawn company until 1928 (Kisselgoff). She was a part of the company's "tour of Asia in 1925-26 and its transcontinental American tour in 1926-27. She also toured with the Denishawn troupe when it became part of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1928" (Kisselgoff) She went on to become the director of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance from the 1940's - 1960's.

Louis Horst
Horst also started as a pianist in 1915. He became very close with Denis and Shawn and “helped train many of their dancers, including a promising young student of Shawn’s named Martha Graham” (Carlin). In 1925 Graham and Horst left Denishawn and Horst worked for the Graham company until 1948. He then went on to work for Bennington College, Columbia University Teachers College (1938–1941), and the Juilliard School of Music (1958–1963) (Carlin).

Doris Humphrey
Humphrey danced and toured with the Denishawn company until 1928 when she opened a studio in New York City with Pauline Lawrence and Charles Weidman (Cohen). She taught and performed all over New York and went on to teach and choreograph at both Bennington College and Connecticut College. Humphrey later became director of José Limón's company and worked with him at the Julliard School of Music (Cohen).

A few of the issues also include sample programs that highlight certain dances that were performed during the time.

"The Vision of the Aissoua"
An Algerian Dance Drama, in Three Scenes
Choreography by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn

This dance tells the story of “a girl of the tribe of the Ouled Nail” who falls in love with a boy in poverty but is “sold into the cafes of Algiers, to dance and earn money for the tribe”. Throughout three scenes; The Desert, The Mosque, and The House of Fatma, the piece tells the story of the lover’s separation, their journey apart, and their final reunion.

“Cuadro Flamenco”
A Spanish Gipsy Dance Scene
Choreography by Ted Shawn

This dance takes place in “a cafe concert hall in Seville” on the night of a bull fight. It brings to life the social interactions within the hall, such as flirting, boasting about bull fighting wins, and marriage proposals. The piece also highlights the evening’s entertainment and namesake of the work, the Cuadro Flamenco.

Works Cited

Bell, Thia. “Dancer-Weaver Honored as City Treasure : Arts: Ojai Gives Anne Douglas Doucet a Lifetime Achievement Award for Her Contributions
to Modern Dance and Her 50 Years of Weaving.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 1990, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-16-me-9408-story.html.

Carlin, Richard. "Horst, Louis (1884-1964), composer, arranger, dance critic and pedagogue, and publisher." American National Biography. February, 2000. Oxford University Press. Date of access 19 Nov. 2019, <https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1800594>

Cohen, Selma Jeanne. "Humphrey, Doris (1895-1958), dancer and choreographer." American National Biography. February, 2000. Oxford University Press. Date of access 19 Nov. 2019, <https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1800607>

Kisselgoff, Anna. “Geordie Graham, 88, a Dancer With Denishawn Company, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Oct. 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/10/13/obituaries/geordie-graham-88-a-dancer-with-denishawn-company-dies.html.“Pauline Lawrence.” American Ballet Theatre, www.abt.org/people/pauline-lawrence/.

Thom, Rose Anne. "Weidman, Charles Edward, Jr. (1901-1975), dancer, choreographer, and teacher." American National Biography. February, 2000. Oxford University Press. Date of access 19 Nov. 2019, <https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1801805>