The Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles, California, helped many perfect their dancing talents and became the first dance academy in the United States to produce a professional dance company. Some of the school's more notable pupils include Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Lillian Powell, Charles Weidman, Jack Cole, and silent film star Louise Brooks. The school was especially renowned for its influence on ballet and experimental modern dance. In time, Denishawn teachings reached another school location as well - Studio 61 at the Carnegie Hall Studios.
Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis in 1916.
Denishawn Dancer Ruth Austin
Ruth St Denis & Company in "Ishtar of the Seven Gates", 1920s
Ruth St. Denis was an American pioneer of modern dance, introducing eastern ideas into the art and paving the way for other women in dance. She was inspired by the Delsarte advocate Genevieve Stebbins. St. Denis was the co-founder in 1915 of the American Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. She taught notable performers including Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey. In 1938, she founded the pioneering dance program at Adelphi University. She published several articles on spiritual dance and the mysticism of the body.
Ruth St. Denis
Photographed by Otto Sarony, c. 1900. St. Denis began to investigate Oriental dance after seeing an image of the Egyptian goddess Isis in a cigarette advertisement.
St Denis and Company in Ishtar of the Seven Gates. Photo by White Studio, 1920s. The dancers are Doris Humphrey, Louise Brooks, Jeordie Graham, Pauline Lawrence, Anne Douglas, Lenore Scheffer, Lenore Hardy, and Lenore Sadowska.
Ted Shawn and St. Denis in Egyptian Ballet. They married, created and performed many productions together, and co-founded the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts.