Ballet and Modern Dance in the United States in the 1920’s
Annotated Bibliography
Ballet Russes. Dir. Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller. Perf. Irina Baronova, Tania Riabouchinska, Tamara Toumanova, Frederic Franklin, George Zoritch, and Mia Slavenska. DVD. 2005.
Ballet Russes was a documentary that followed the life of the dance company, Ballet Russes, from its first owner, Diaghilev, through its split into Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and The Original Ballet Russes. This film was helpful, because it outlined the complete history of Ballet Russes and contained multiple dance clips from the 1920’s and 30’s.
Berenson, Ruth. “Denishawn Redivivus.” National Review 29 (1977): 155-156. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Empire State College, New York. 29 Oct. 2007.
This article talked about the lives of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Their work as well as their students had a strong and lasting influence in modern dance.
EN POINTE: the Lives and Legacies of Ballet’s Native Americans. Dir. Shawnee H. Brittan. Perf. Maria Tallchief, Marjorie Tallchief, Yvonne Chouteau, Moscelyne Larkin, Rosella Hightower, and Richard Thomas. 2000.
EN POINTE consisted of personal interviews with five Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma that were born in the 1920’s. The interviews follow the dancers’ lives from birth to their dance training, into their professional careers, and through to their lives today. This film gave an informative view of how dance in the United States in the 1920’s affected the lives of these young dancers.
Grassi, Amata. Amata B. Grassi Papers, 1878-1971. New York Performing Arts Library, New York. 9 Nov. 2007.
This special collections box at the New York Performing Arts Library was filled with Amata B. Grassi’s documents from her life. There were numerous playbills, a 1924 theatre magazine, photos of her dancing, and photos of her friends, coworkers, and family. It was a wonderful collection to look through, because it gave me visuals of printed materials from the 1920’s.
Gruen, John. “Patricia Bowman: showcased in showbiz, her artistic maturity during the 1920’s and ‘30’s coincided with a period in our dance history when her art could not find its proper setting.” Dance Magazine (Oct. 1976): 47-62.
This article illustrated Ms. Bowman’s life and her dancing career. She was referred to as the “Pavlova of the West,” but there were not many opportunities for her to dance in the United States during the 1920’s and 30’s.
Hoctor, Harriet. Interview with Walter Terry. Invitation to Dance. 22 Jan. 1967. WNYC, New York. 5 Feb. 1967.
This short interview with Harriet Hoctor mainly focused on her life as a ballerina in the United Sates in the 1920’s and 30’s. She talked about her performing opportunities, her formal training, and her teaching career that followed her performing career.
Jonas, Gerald. Dancing. New York: Harry N. Abrams, in association with Thirteen/WNET, 1998.
Dancing was an extensive overview of the history of dance throughout the world. The chapters that were most useful to me were Classical Dance Theater and Modernizing Dance. These two chapters talked about the evolution of modern dance and ballet in the early 1900’s.
Sherman, Jane. Denishawn: the Enduring Influence. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1983.
Denishawn: the Enduring Influence chronicled the life of Denishawn from its conception to the dancing legacies that are still present. The book covered the Denishawn technique, company, dancers, and how Denishawn influenced today’s dance world. A marvelous timeline found at the front of this book was the most helpful in my research.
Terry, Walter. Miss Ruth. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1969.
Need to read and might not use.
The Early Years: American Dance in Transition. Dir. Patricia Kerr Ross. Perf. Walter Terry. Videocassette. 1981.
Walter Terry lectured at SUNY Purchase on the transitional period of dance that took place between 1900 and 1939, specifically in modern dance. He talked about the lives of Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman, and how they influenced the dance world.
Tracy, Robert. Goddess: Martha Graham’s Dancers Remember. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996.
Goddess: Martha Graham’s Dancers Remember interviewed and outlined the lives of the dancers that worked in Martha Graham’s dance company. The dancers ranged from Martha’s first dancers in the 1920’s to present dancers. The first dancers, including Martha Hill and Betty MacDonald, helped Martha create her own style of movement and performed with her. The more present dancers in the book worked with Martha much later in her career and are still active in the dance world performing and teaching Martha Graham’s movement style.
