Research Catalog

Title

Ted Shawn papers, 1913-1982 (bulk 1940-1972)

Author

Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972

Supplementary Content

Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Hadassah, 1909?-1992
• Humphrey, Doris, 1895-1958
• Joel, Lydia
• Lyon, Margerie
• Poole, Gray Johnson
• Poole, Lynn
• Kinsey, Alfred C. (Alfred Charles), 1894-1956
• Limón, José.
• Pilates, Joseph H. (Joseph Hubertus)
• St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968
• Sedgwick, Gabriella
• Stuart, Richard
• Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Description

39 linear feet (91 boxes)

Summary

The Ted Shawn papers span the years 1913-1982 and consist mostly of correspondence and personal papers. Also included are materials about the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, financial records, writings, clippings, photographs and posters. The collection is important in its documentation of Shawn's personal relationships with many former dancers. There is extensive correspondence from Gabriella Sedgwick, Lynn Poole, Gray Poole (co-author with Shawn), Margerie Lyon (who worked for Denishawn), and Richard (Dick) Stuart (a dancer with the men's group). Also of note is correspondence from Joseph Pilates (the Pilates exercise), Dr. Alfred Kinsey, Hadassah, Lydia Joel, Lotte Goslar, Doris Humphrey, and José Limón.

Subjects

• Dance teachers
• Dancers
• Choreographers
• Financial records
• Poole, Lynn > Correspondence
• Correspondence
• Posters
• Dance teachers > United States > 20th century
• Lyon, Margerie > Correspondence
• Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
• Poole, Gray Johnson > Correspondence
• Sedgwick, Gabriella > Correspondence
• Photographs
• Pilates, Joseph H (Joseph Hubertus) > Correspondence
• Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972
• Clippings
• Dancers > United States > 20th century
• Limón, José > Correspondence
• Choreographers > United States > 20th century
• Kinsey, Alfred C (Alfred Charles), 1894-1956 > Correspondence
• Humphrey, Doris, 1895-1958 > Correspondence
• Stuart, Richard > Correspondence
• Joel, Lydia > Correspondence > Correspondence
• Hadassah, 1909?-1992 > Correspondence
• St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968 > Correspondence

Genre/Form

• Clippings.
• Correspondence.
• Financial records.
• Photographs.
• Posters.

Location of Other Archival Materials (note)

• See also Ted Shawn Collection ((S) *MGZMC-Re. 31) and Letters to Barton Mumaw ((S) *MGZMD 126) in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Biography (note)

• Dancer, choreographer, educator, and writer, Ted Shawn (1891-1972) was a seminal figure in American dance. Among his many notable accomplishments was the founding of the Denishawn School of Dancing, with his wife, Ruth St. Denis. Within a few years of their opening of the first Denishawn school in Los Angeles, Shawn and St. Denis had established Denishawn schools throughout the United States and built up an extensive repertory of dances, which they performed with their company of Denishawn Dancers on tours of the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Far East from 1915-1932. Some of their dancers, including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman, later went on to develop the field of modern dance. In 1932 Denishawn disbanded, and Shawn and St. Denis pursued separate careers. He developed a company of all male dancers in an effort to prove that dancing was an acceptable art form for men. They rehearsed, choreographed, and trained at Jacob's Pillow, Shawn's farm in Lee, Massachusetts, and performed throughout the United States from 1933 to 1940. An outgrowth of these efforts was the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and University of the Dance, which, by combining daily classes and evening performances, became the first intensive summer dance program in the United States. In addition to his work at Jacob's Pillow, Shawn lectured at universities and other institutions throughout the United States. During his lifetime he also published nine books. Shawn continued to direct Jacob's Pillow every summer and also pursued his career as a scholarly speaker and writer until the time of his death.

Indexes/Finding Aids (note)

• Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Call Number

(S) *MGZMD 133

OCLC

NYPG06-A138

Author

Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972.

Title

Ted Shawn papers, 1913-1982 (bulk 1940-1972)

Biography

Dancer, choreographer, educator, and writer, Ted Shawn (1891-1972) was a seminal figure in American dance. Among his many notable accomplishments was the founding of the Denishawn School of Dancing, with his wife, Ruth St. Denis. Within a few years of their opening of the first Denishawn school in Los Angeles, Shawn and St. Denis had established Denishawn schools throughout the United States and built up an extensive repertory of dances, which they performed with their company of Denishawn Dancers on tours of the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Far East from 1915-1932. Some of their dancers, including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman, later went on to develop the field of modern dance. In 1932 Denishawn disbanded, and Shawn and St. Denis pursued separate careers. He developed a company of all male dancers in an effort to prove that dancing was an acceptable art form for men. They rehearsed, choreographed, and trained at Jacob's Pillow, Shawn's farm in Lee, Massachusetts, and performed throughout the United States from 1933 to 1940. An outgrowth of these efforts was the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and University of the Dance, which, by combining daily classes and evening performances, became the first intensive summer dance program in the United States. In addition to his work at Jacob's Pillow, Shawn lectured at universities and other institutions throughout the United States. During his lifetime he also published nine books. Shawn continued to direct Jacob's Pillow every summer and also pursued his career as a scholarly speaker and writer until the time of his death.

Location of Other Archival Materials

See also Ted Shawn Collection ((S) *MGZMC-Re. 31) and Letters to Barton Mumaw ((S) *MGZMD 126) in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Indexes

Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

Request Access to Special Collections (Dance Division) material

Finding Aid

Occupation

Choreographers.

Dance teachers.

Dancers.

Added Author

Hadassah, 1909?-1992.

Humphrey, Doris, 1895-1958.

Joel, Lydia.

Lyon, Margerie.

Poole, Gray Johnson.

Poole, Lynn.

Kinsey, Alfred C. (Alfred Charles), 1894-1956.

Limón, José.

Pilates, Joseph H. (Joseph Hubertus)

St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968.

Sedgwick, Gabriella.

Stuart, Richard.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

Research Call Number

(S) *MGZMD 133