Finding aid for Papers of Ruth St. Denis, 1904-2007 (bulk 1930-1970).

              RUTH ST. DENIS PAPERS
1904-2007 (bulk 1930-1970)
FINDING AID
The Huntington Library
Brooke M. Black
November 7, 2011
©The Huntington LibraryRuth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 2
Administrative Information
Title:
Ruth St. Denis papers, 1904-2007 (bulk 1930-1970)
Accession Numbers:
1676, 1685, 1696, 2190, 2246, 2266, 2621, 2626
Creator:
St. Denis, Ruth
Extent:
42 binders and approximately 1,000 items
Repository:
Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Acquisition Information:
The collection is made up of several separate gifts: Janice Seaman, August, October and December 1993; Robert Lovelace, November 14, 2003; and Elliott Mittler, January and February 2010. One volume, “Songs of Senescence” by Jane Sherman was a gift from Jane Lehac, November 12, 2003.
Conditions Governing Access/Restrictions:
The entire collection is open for qualified researchers.
Literary Copyright/Publication Rights:
The Huntington Library does not necessarily retain the literary rights to the material. In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission from the office of the Library Director. In most instances, permission is given by the Huntington as owner of the physical property rights only, and researchers must also obtain permission from the holder of the literary rights. In some instances, the Huntington owns the literary rights, as well as the physical property rights. Researchers may contact the appropriate curator for further information.
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Identification of Item], Ruth St. Denis papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Name of Cataloger/Date Completed:
Brooke M. Black/November 7, 2011. Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 3
Biographical Note
Ruth St. Denis (born Ruth Dennis) was born in 1879 in New Jersey. She began dancing as a child. Her early training included Delsarte technique, ballet lessons with the Italian ballerina Maria Bonfante, social dance forms and skirt dancing. She began her professional career in New York City in 1892, where she worked as a skirt dancer in a dime museum and in vaudeville houses. In 1898, Ruth was noticed by David Belasco, a well-known and highly successful Broadway producer and director. He hired her to perform with his large company as a featured dancer, and was also responsible for giving her the stage name "St. Denis." Under Belasco's influence, Ruthie Dennis became Ruth St. Denis, toured with his production of "Zaza" around the United States and in Europe, and was exposed to the work of several important European artists, including the Japanese dancer Sado Yacco and the great English actress, Sarah Bernhardt. St. Denis began studying Hindu art and philosophy, and offered a public performance in New York City of her first dance work, Radha, together with such shorter pieces as The Cobra and The Incense. A three-year European tour followed. She was particularly successful in Vienna, Austria, where she added The Nautch and The Yogi to her program. Her later productions, many of which had religious themes, included the long-planned Egypta (1910) and O-mika (1913), a dance drama in a Japanese style.
In 1914 St. Denis married Ted Shawn, her dance partner, and the next year they founded the Denishawn school and company in Los Angeles. During that time, St. Denis’s choreographic style broadened to include group numbers occasionally derived from Occidental as well as Oriental sources. Among her choreographic innovations were “music visualization”—a concept that called for movement equivalents to the timbres, dynamics, and structural shapes of music in addition to its rhythmic base—and a related choreographic form that she called “synchoric orchestra.” Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn were also instrumental in creating the legendary dance festival, Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts. In 1925, St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and the Denishawn Dancers took a year-long dancing tour in the Orient.
St. Denis and Shawn separated, both professionally and personally, in 1931, though they never divorced. St. Denis, who retired briefly from public performance, founded the Society of Spiritual Arts and devoted much of the rest of her life to promoting the use of dance in religion. In 1940, with La Meri, she founded the School of Natya to continue the teaching of South Asian dance. She resumed performing in 1941 with an appearance at Jacob’s Pillow Festival, where she continued to appear annually until 1955. Often called the “first lady of American dance,” she remained active into the 1960s.
Ruth wrote an autobiography entitled Ruth St. Denis, an Unfinished Life in 1939. She died in Los Angeles in 1968 and was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C. V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 1987 along with her former husband Ted Shawn. Shawn died in 1972.
Cataloger’s Notes
1. The majority of the collection came from Janice Seaman. The material given to the Huntington by Robert Lovelace and Elliott Mittler is incorporated in the collection but noted on their folders.
2. Although many of the binders have dates in their title, almost every binder containsRuth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 4
material spanning a different date range. These actual dates are the dates given in parentheses after the binder title. For example, Volume 1 is titled “To 1920” but actually contains material covering the years 1906 to 1976.
3. Due to the number of photographs (both dated and undated), the cataloger put the dated photographs in folder with specific inclusive dates (ex. 1916-1938). For the undated photographs, the cataloger split these up by photograph size (ex. 8 x 10”) and dated the folders [before 1968] (the year St. Denis died).
4. The cataloger put the negatives and slides with the original photographs when they could be identified; if they could not be identified, they went into the appropriate “Negatives” or “Slides” folder.
5. The cataloger did not listen to any of the A-V material.
Scope and Content Note
The collection is organized in the following series: 1. Binders; 2. Photographs, Negatives, and Slides; 3. Ephemera and Miscellaneous; 4. Audio-Visual; 5. Oversize; and 6. Individually Housed Items.
The series “Binders” includes 42 volumes of material related to Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, the Denishawn dancers, etc. They are like scrapbooks and contain several different formats of materials including photographs, clippings, programs, dance notes, correspondence and financial documents. The material in the binders were left in their original order (as they came to the Huntington Library). It seems that the majority of the material was gathered and put together by Dorothy Lee Trifal, Ruth St. Denis’ assistant and the manager of St. Denis’ dance studio. The first 19 volumes are organized (and were titled) with dates and date spans. The next 23 volumes are organized alphabetically by their titles (ex. “American Dance Film Association”). Some of the titles are cataloger supplied.
The Photographs, Negatives, and Slides series contains 409 photographs, negatives and slides. Although the majority of the photographs are of Ruth St. Denis in dancing poses, there are several other categories of photographs including: Ted Shawn, dance performances, special events and celebrations, other dancers, the dance studio and students, the film “He is Risen,” and Jacob’s Pillow. Photographs can also be found in the Miscellaneous series in the material regarding “The Dancing Prophet” as well as the Oversize series.
The Ephemera and Miscellaneous series contains a variety of formats including: programs, publications (magazines as well as printed books), miscellaneous material such as one letter by Forrest Coggan to Dorothy Lee Trifal, and a postcard from Forrest Thornburg to Dorothy Lee Trifal. The majority of this material is correspondence, documents and contracts for the film; some authors include Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Alfred Frantz Stury, Director of the Ruth St. Denis Center, film maker Edmund F. Penney, and Janice Lovoos. The series also contains several printed manuscripts written by St. Denis including “Dialogue for a Temple for Prayer For Artists,” “Poems,” “The Divine Dance,” “Current Biography,” and a notebook belonging to St. Denis. There is also a copy of the published book Lotus Light written by Ruth St. Denis in 1932. Also included is a scrapbook with clippings and photographs of dancers and two published volumes of poetry by Jane Sherman (who was a Denishawn dancer). There is one box dedicated Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 5
to material related to the film “The Dancing Prophet” about Ruth St. Denis (the film reel is in the A-V series).
The audio-visual material consists of cassette tapes, reel-to-reel/magnetic tapes, albums (records), and one VHS tape. This material consists of interviews with Ruth St. Denis, speeches by St. Denis, her reading from her journals, music, some composed by Clifford Vaughan, and dance performances. There is also a reel of the film “The Dancing Prophet.” A lot of what is on the reel-to-reel/magnetic tapes and some of the albums can also be found on the cassette tapes. The majority of the A-V material is undated. It is organized by type/format and then alphabetical by title (if it had one).
The Oversize series contains: Sheet music (some with dance instructions and photographs, which are arranged alphabetically by title), some of which is written by Clifford Vaughan, images of Ruth St. Denis, and two photograph albums with photographs of various dancers and celebrities (most of which are not identified), one of these is also a scrapbook with programs from her various performances. The series also contains oversize photographs of Ruth St. Denis.
The Individually Housed Items include a glass plate negative of Ruth St. Denis (“Devi Ja,” 1951), a copy of the two-volume Ruth St. Denis: Pioneer & Prophet: Being a History of Her Cycle of Oriental Dances by Ted Shawn, a poster of Ruth St. Denis, and a banner of Ruth St. Denis.
Subjects of the entire collection include: Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, American dance and dancers, dance instruction and notes, exercises and warm-up routines, various dance types (international as well as American), famous dancers from around the globe, Denishawn dancers, the Ruth St. Denis Center, the Ruth St. Denis Foundation, the Ruth St. Denis Theatre Intime, Jacob’s Pillow dance festival, American Dance Film Association, Society of Spiritual Arts Church, the various teachers and pupils at St. Denis’ dance studio and school, the Orient trip the Denishawn dancers took in 1926, as well as dance productions and events St. Denis put on throughout her career. There is also much material about St. Denis’ effort to have her studio and school become a non-profit entity and her desire to create an artist colony in Hemet, California.
More specifically, several dancers show up in the notebooks and photographs, including: Harold Kreutzberg, Peter di Falco, La Meri, Karoun Tootikian, Miriam Schiller, Jean Léon, Gladys Bowen, Antonio Gades, Devi Dja, Doris Humphrey, Mary Wigman, and Martha Graham.
Container List
Binders
Volume 1: “To 1920” (1906-1976).
Volume 2: “1940-1942” (1939-1949).
Volume 3: “1941-1945” (1940-1950).
Volume 4: “1946” (1946-1951).
Volume 5: “1947” (1947).
Volume 6: “1948” (1948-1950).Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 6
Volume 7: “1949” (1949).
Volume 8: “1950, Jan.-June” (1950).
Volume 9: “1950, July-Dec.” (1950-1976).
Volume 10: “1950-1959 Additional” (1950-1966).
Volume 11: “1951” (1951).
Volume 12: “1955” (1955).
Volume 13: “1956” (1956-1958).
Volume 14: “1957-1958” (1957-1958).
Volume 15: “1957-1962” (1957-1962).
Volume 16: “1963-1968” (1963-1969).
Volume 17: 1964” (1960-1964).
Volume 18: “1964-1965” (1964-1965).
Volume 19: “1965” (1963-1968).
Volume 20: “American Dance Film Association” (1947-1964).
Volume 21: “Articles about Ted Shawn” (1936-1991).
Volume 22: “Articles by Ted Shawn” (1924-1950).
Volume 23: “Dance Notes by Ted Shawn” [before 1972].
Volume 24: “Dance Notes by Ted Shawn” (1939-1951).
Volume 25: “Dance Notes (mostly duplicates)” (1923-1948).
Volume 26: “Dances I” (1926-1948).
Volume 27: “Dances II” (1904-1987).
Volume 28: “Denishawn and Dancing Schools” (1915-1989).
Volume 29: “Ideas for a ‘Colony’” (1951-1963).
Volume 30: “Poetry” (1919-1968).
Volume 31: “Post Miss Ruth: Obituaries + Programs” (1968-1990).
Volume 32: “Receptions: 1947-1965” (1927-1965).
Volume 33: “Ruth St. Denis Center” (1962-1966).
Volume 34: “Ruth St. Denis Foundation” (1948-1957).
Volume 35: “Ruth St. Denis Theatre Intime” (1948-1953).
Volume 36: “Ruth St. Denis Theatre Intime ‘46” (1947-1981).
Volume 37: “Ruth St. Denis Theatre Intime ’48” (1948).
Volume 38: “Society for the Spiritual Arts” (1925-1980).
Volume 39: “Studio Pupils” (1926-1964).
Volume 40: “Teachers” (1947-1962).
Volume 41: “Ted Shawn” (1918-1988).
Volume 42: “Ted Shawn and Jacob’s Pillow” (1921-1991).
Photographs, Negatives, and Slides, Boxes 1- 2
Box 1: Photographs: Dance Performances – Ruth St. Denis (alone, 8 x 10”)
1. Photographs: Dance Performances (1930-[c.1952]). 11 items.
2. Photographs: “He is Risen” [1950]. 9 items. Includes two negatives.
3. Photographs: Jacob’s Pillow [c.1950]. 18 items.
4. Photographs: Miscellaneous [c.1952]. 4 items.
5. Photographs: Other Dancers (1925-1952). 15 items. Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 7
6. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone) (1916-1938). 27 items. Includes two negatives.
7. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone) (1940-1948). 11 items.
8. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone) (1950-1957). 25 items. Includes three negatives.
9. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone) (1962-1968). 16 items.
10. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone, 8 x 10”) [before 1968]. 15 items.
11. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone, 8 x 10”) [before 1968]. 16 items.
12. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone, 8 x 10”) [before 1968]. 21 items. Includes one negative.
Box 2: Photographs, Ruth St. Denis (alone, smaller formats) – Ted Shawn, Negatives, and Slides
1. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone, smaller formats) [before 1968]. 21 items.
2. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone, smaller formats) [before 1968]. 21 items.
3. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (alone, smaller formats) [before 1968]. 22 items.
4. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis – “Birthday Party” (1963, Jan. 20). 14 items.
5. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis – “Blue Poster” (1953-1959). 26 items. Includes clipping about paintings of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn and 20 slides.
6. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis and Others (1912-1964). 47 items. Includes four negatives.
7. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn ([c.1920]-1956). 3 items.
8. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis Dance Studio [c.1950]. 3 items.
9. Photographs: Studio Children [1952]. 12 items. Includes seven negatives.
10. Photographs: Ted Shawn ([c.1920]-1961). 3 items.
11. Negatives: Dance Performances [c.1952]. 16 items.
12. Negatives: Ruth St. Denis (alone) [c.1950]. 19 items.
13. Negatives: Ruth St. Denis and Others [c.1950]. 10 items.
14. Slides: Ruth St. Denis and Others ([c.1950]-1968). 4 items.
Ephemera and Miscellaneous, Boxes 3- 5
Box 3: Ephemera
1. Ephemera: Denishawn Repertory Dancers [after 1991]. 8 items.
2. Ephemera: Jacob’s Pillow Programs and Newsletters (1949-1954). 13 items.
3. Ephemera: Jacob’s Pillow Programs and Newsletters (1955-1958). 18 items.
4. Ephemera: Jacob’s Pillow Programs and Newsletters (1959-1961). 6 items.
5. Ephemera: Jacob’s Pillow Programs and Newsletters (1962-1966). 8 items.
6. Ephemera: Jacob’s Pillow Programs and Newsletters (1967-1973). 11 items.
7. Ephemera: Magazines (1925-1964). 6 items.
8. Ephemera: Miscellaneous Printed Items (1932-1961). 3 items.
9. Ephemera: Miscellaneous Printed Items: Ruth St. Denis (1957-1961). 2 items.
10. Ephemera: Programs: Ruth St. Denis (1927-1967). 16 items.
11. Ephemera: Shawn Fundamental Training Exercises [c.1950]. 1 item. Signed by Ted
Shawn. Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 8
Box 4: Miscellaneous: Film: “The Dancing Prophet”
1. Contracts and Correspondence (1964-1972). 59 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
2. Excerpts from ‘An Unfinished Life’ by Ruth St. Denis [after 1939]. 2 item. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
3. Ruth St. Denis (1966-1976). 26 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
4. Ruth St. Denis II (1969-1977). 11 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
5. Ruth St. Denis III (1951-1973). 40 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
6. Ruth St. Denis – Flyers, Brochures, Printed Info, etc. (1973-1977). 32 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
7. Ruth St. Denis – includes clippings (1964-1972). 82 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
8. St. Ives (1965-1975). 39 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
Box 5: Miscellaneous
1. Miscellaneous: Letter and Postcard ([c.1960]-1993). 2 items.
2. Miscellaneous: Lotus Light by Ruth St. Denis (published book of poetry) (1932). 1 item.
3. Miscellaneous: Manuscript (1947, Nov. 30). 1 item. Note: Manuscript is dedicated to Ruth St. Denis.
4. Miscellaneous: Manuscripts by Ruth St. Denis, 1880-1968 (1933-1959). 6 items.
5. Miscellaneous: Outline of Ruth St. Denis’s hand [before 1968]. 1 item.
6. Miscellaneous: Scrapbook [1930s]. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010. 1 item.
7. Miscellaneous: Songs of Senescence and A Bestiary of Poems by Jane Sherman, 1908-2010 (2003-2007). 2 items. Songs of Senescence, gift of Jane Lehac, 2003.
Audio-Visual, Boxes 6-15
Box 6: Cassette Tapes: Denishawn – Ruth St. Denis Center
1. “Denishawn Music played by Bob Hawkinson.”
2. “Interview: Ruth St. Denis by James Day, Rest Home.”
3. “Interview: Ruth St. Denis by James Day, San Francisco” (1964, Sep. 15).
4. “Miss Ruth Tape #1” (1961-1966).
5. “Miss Ruth – Freedom – Jacob’s Pillow.”
6. “Miss Ruth – Isadora East & West – Her Contribution – Future of Dance – on Ted” (1957, Feb. 11).
7. “Miss Ruth – Poetry – Blue Book” (1953).
8. “Miss Ruth – Poetry – From Notes” (1953, Aug. 24).
9. “Miss Ruth – Rhythmic Choir – Forrest Thorburg talks about Ruth St. Denis – Her poem to him written 1950 – Short poems by Ruth ST. Denis” (1966, July 29).
10. “Miss Ruth – Rhythmic Choir – Ode to Nativity – Poems.”
11. “Miss Ruth – Speech on Haromo Moon Maiden ‘Noh’ – Pittsfield on Parade Miss Ruth and Ted Shawn” (1952, Aug. 26).
12. “Miss Ruth & Mary Wigman” (1958).
13. “Music – Dances – Tagore Poem.”
14. “Music – Lazy Nautch – Miss Ruth’s Birthday Party ’68” (1968). Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 9
15. “Ruth St. Denis Center Alfred Stury – Ruth St. Denis, Elyse Robert” [1964].
16. “Ruth St. Denis Center Alfred Stury continued” [1964].
Box 7: Cassette Tapes: Miss Ruth – Journals
1. “Miss Ruth Journals I – Omaha – Anniversary No. 26” [1927].
2. “Miss Ruth Journals II – Omaha – Anniversary No. 26 continued” [1927].
3. “Miss Ruth Journals III.”
4. “Miss Ruth Journals End of III.”
5. “Miss Ruth Journals IV.”
6. “Miss Ruth Journals – Follies Tour – 1927 Reel 4.”
7. “Miss Ruth Journals I.”
8. “Miss Ruth Journals II.”
9. “Miss Ruth Reading from Journals.”
10. “Miss Ruth Reading from Journals Cont. Taped at Studio by Dorothy Tifal.”
11. “Miss Ruth Reading from Her Journal (from reel-to-reel tape)” (copied 1987, April 9).
Box 8: Albums (Records) 12” (loose)
1. “Blessing of Priest, Ballet Music from ‘Lakme’ Delibes.”
2. “Greek Veil.”
3. “Gregorian Chants: Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Immaculate Conception. Choir of the Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre De Solesmes.”
4. “Gregorian Chants: Holy Thursday. Choir of the Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre De Solesmes.”
5. “Gregorian Chants: Pentecost Corpus Christi. Choir of the Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre De Solesmes.”
6. “Hindu Temple; Hindu Nautch – Clifford Vaughan.”
7. “Interview: Ruth St. Denis by Peggy Walker Shaw” (1951, Feb. 20).
8. “Interview: Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn by Ted Holmes (Pittsfield on Parade Interview)” (1952, Aug. 26).
9. “March; Gavotte; Schottische; Waltz.”
10. “Midnight in the Madhouse ‘Cobra’; Javanese.”
11. “Miss Ruth Speech on Haromo Moon Maiden Noh; Haromo Noh Music Moon Goodess Performance Only.”
12. “Miss Ruth’s Voice; Speech.”
13. “Omika; Buddhist Ritual.”
14. “Passepied.”
15. “Polka; Gallop; Tango; Tarantella; Polonaise; Bolero; Barcarolle; Jota.”
16. “Rhada.”
17. “The Roger Wagner Chorale: Monteverdi, The Magnificat, Respighi, Laud to the Nativity” (1962, Oct.).
18. “Ruth St. Denis ‘The First Lady of the American Dance’ in a ‘Poetic Biography” (1955, Jan.).
19. “Singhalese Mask Dance; White Jade (Chinese Pantomime) – Clifford Vaughan.”
20. “Vaghan [sic] Chinese.” Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 10
21. “White Nautch.”
22. “Yogi; Indra.”
Box 9: Albums (Records) 12” (in album)
1. Album “Clifford Vaughan” containing three records:
a. “Singhalese Mask Dance; White Jade (Chinese Pantomime) – Clifford Vaughan.”
b. “Singhalese Anklet Dance; Chinese Theater – Clifford Vaughan.”
c. “Denishawn Record: Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn.” Note: This record is broken into two pieces.
2. Album containing six records:
a. “God Bless America: Kate Smith.”
b. Chinese album: “Farm Village Music.”
c. Chinese album: “Tango.”
d. Chinese album: “Shanghai Philharmonic; Village Children Dance.”
e. Japanese album.
f. “Cugat.”
Box 10: Albums (Records) 12” (in album)
1. Album containing eight records (blue):
a. “Incense; Shuman Etudes #1.”
b. “Dark Dancers of the Mardi Gras by Charles Wakefield Cadman: Transcription for Two Pianos played by Marguerite Bitter and the Composer.”
c. “White Jade: Ruth St. Denis Solo – Clifford Vaughan composer.”
d. “Belshazzar’s Feast.”
e. “Flower Seller Nautch; Dolly’s.”
f. “Interview: Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn by Ted Holmes (Pittsfield on Parade Interview)” (1952, Aug. 26).
g. “Realization, Praise; Wedding Dance” (1950, Dec. 14).
h. “Tagore; Indra’s Paradise.”
2. Album containing eight records (green):
a. “Ballet Egyptien Suite: Parts 1 & 2.”
b. “Waltzes from Rosenkavaliier: Beginning and Conclusion.”
c. “Three Incense Poems: Recitation & Music.”
d. “Japanese Nocturne; Salome’s Dance: concluded.”
e. “Salome’s Dance: Parts 1 & 2.”
f. “Samson and Delilah – Bacchanale: Ballet Music, Act 3).”
g. “White Jade: Practice and Performance” (1978, Oct. 10).
h. “Invocation; Ave Marie.”
3. Album containing eight records (brown):
a. “Hear my Prayer: Parts 1 & 2.”
b. “Handel’s Messiah.”
c. “Ecce Quomodo Moritur Justus; Tenebrae Factae Sunt.”
d. “Jubilate Deo; Precatus Est Moyses.”
e. “The Bell’s of St. Mary’s; The Lord’s Prayer.”Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 11
f. “Midnight in the Madhouse – ‘Cobra’; Javanese.”
g. “Tuulikki Master: Tango Flamenco; Finnish Peasant.”
h. “Doll Dance.”
Box 11: Albums (Records) 16” (loose)
1. “Devi Dja; Javanese; Buddahist” (1938?).
2. “Drum Beats; Flemgueria; Fantasia Argentina; Bamboo Dance; Garba-Hindu Folk Dance; Sevillianas. (1950, June 28)”
3. “[can’t read name]; Kinder Polka; Seffo (?); [can’t read name]; Bonne’s (?) Drum; Javanese.”
4. “R. St. Denis Buddhist-Javanese (1946, Aug. 26).
5. “Ruth St. Denis” (1950, Apr. 1?).
6. “Salome’s Dance” (1950, Sep. 27).
7. “Tiller’s; Black & Gold; Yogi; Cobra; Baraboo; Devi Dja” (1949, June 30).
8. “White Jade; Brahms Waltz; Lazy Nautch; White Nautch; Cadman Nautch; Incense; Voice & Piano Ruth St. Denis.”
Box 12: Reel-to-Reel/Magnetic Tapes ¼”- 5” reels
1. “Miss Ruth – Hospital, Toluca Lake” (1966?).
2. “Miss Ruth – Interview with James Day” (1964, Sep. 15). Note: Poor Quality.
3. “Miss Ruth – Interview with James Day” (1964, Sep. 15).
4. “Miss Ruth – Studio/Mt. Tam/Peace.”
5. “Miss Ruth Speaks” (1962, July 29).
6. “The Roger Wagner Chorale: Monteverdi, The Magnificat, Respighi, Laud to the Nativity” (1962, Oct.).
7. “Ruth St. Denis – Dinner Party (1961, Aug. 16).
8. “Ruth St. Denis – Speaking ‘Freedom,’ Music & Voice, Performance Jacob’s Pillow.”
9. “Sound Reel #16.”
10. “Tiger Cage – Midas Prod, Inc.”
11. No label – unknown contents.
Box 13: Reel-to-Reel/Magnetic Tapes ¼” – 10” reels
1. “Miss Ruth – Dance Lecture” (1957, Feb. 11).
2. “Miss Ruth – Poems” (1953, Aug. 24).
3. “Ruth St. Denis – T.V. Interview – San Francisco.”
4. No label – unknown contents.
5. Empty reel.
Box 14: Reel-to-Reel/Magnetic Tapes ¼” – 10” reels
1. “Dances of Ruth St. Denis.”
2. “Denishawn Technique.”
3. “Miss Ruth & Mary Wigman: Side 1” (1958).Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 12
4. “Miss Ruth & Mary Wigman: Side 2” (1958).
5. “Miss Ruth Reads from her Journals – Omaha – 13th Ted & St. Denis Anniversary” [1927].
6. “Miss Ruth’s Brahm & Lazy Nautch.”
7. “Ruth St. Denis Reads from her Journals” (1924).
8. Ruth St. Denis Speaking (1927).
9. Ruth St. Denis – Poetry.
10. “Ruth St. Denis Center Alfred Stury 1st Meeting” (1964, Feb. 16).
11. “Reel 3” – unknown contents.
Box 15: Reel-to-Reel/Magnetic Tapes 1/4” – 10 1/2”, VHS, and “The Dancing Prophet”
1. No label – unknown contents.
2. No label – unknown contents.
3. VHS: “Denishawn: Dances On.” (2002).
4. “The Dancing Prophet:” film reel [c.1964].
Oversize, Sheet Music, Boxes 16-18
Box 16: Oversize: Sheet Music, A – L
1. A – 2 items
a. Anitra’s Tanz
b. Arcadia – Greek Solo Dance (with dance instruction)
2. B – 13 items
a. Baby Schubert
b. Balinese (Denishawn)
c. Ballet Egyptien, Carl Fischer
d. Ballet Egyptien, Alexander Luigini
e. Bakawali Nautch
f. Burmese (with photographs and dance instruction)
3. C – 3 items
a. Cobra
4. D – 5 items
a. Dalcroze
b. Danse de La Gipsy
c. Danse Grotesque
d. Dream Shadows
e. Drigo Serenade
5. E – 5 items
a. Egyptia
b. Egyptian
c. Egyptian Dance
d. Elfin HornRuth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 13
6. F – 3 items
a. 5 poems
b. Flower Arrangement
c. Flower Seller Nautch (Denishawn)
7. G – 22 items
a. Garland Plastique (with photographs and dance instruction)
b. Greek Veil (with photographs and dance instruction)
c. Green Nautch
8. H – 3 items
a. Hindu Dance
b. Hindu Nautch
9. I – 7 items
a. In a Persian Market
b. Incense (with dance instruction)
c. Indian Lament
10. J – 4 items
a. Javanese
b. The Jewels of the Madonna
11. K – 2 items
a. Kuhlau Sonatinas
b. Kwannon
12. L – 8 items
a. Laces and Graces
b. Lady from Bombay (with dance instruction)
c. Lazy Nautch (with dance instruction)
d. Liselotte
Box 17: Oversize: Sheet Music, M – Y
1. M – 18 items
a. Madrasi Nautch (Dancing Girls)
b. Maria, Marì
c. The Minstrel of Kashmira
d. Minuet
e. Modern Nautch
f. Moon of Love (with dance instruction)
g. Moorish Dance
2. N – 3 items
a. Narcissus
b. Natoma
3. O – 8 items
a. Obertass (with dance instruction)
b. Oriental Dances
c. Orientale
d. Où Va la Jeune Indoue
e. Ouled NailesRuth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 14
4. P – 6 items
a. Passing of Salome
b. Passion Danza
c. A Persian Fantasy
d. Piano-Conductor
e. Poppies (with dance instruction)
5. R – 8 items
a. Realization and Praise (with dance instruction)
b. Red and Gold Sari
c. The Red Man
6. S – 12 items
a. Salammbô
b. Salut L’Amour
c. Scarf Plastique (just dance instruction)
d. Siamese (Denishawn Dancers)
e. Solvejgs Lied
f. Sonata Pathétique (Denishawn Dancers, with dance instruction)
g. Suite Orientale
7. T – 7 items
a. Tagore Poem
b. Tambourine Dance
c. Temple Bells
d. Tunisienne
e. Turkish March
8. V – 3 items
a. Valse Triste
b. Vienna Beauties
c. Violette (with dance instruction)
9. W – 2 items
a. White Jade
b. Wisteria
10. Y – 3 items
a. Yogi (with photograph)
Box 18: Oversize: Sketch – Photographs
1. Sketch: The Prophetess [1930?]. 1 item.
2. Miscellaneous Printed Items: Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn (1957-1976). 6 items.
3. Photograph Album (1909-1925). Note: the photographs have been taken out of album and are in an envelope. 62 items. Gift of Robert Lovelace, November 2003.
4. Photograph Album (1910-[c.1960]). Note: the photographs have been taken out of album and are in an envelope. 103 items. Gift of Elliott Mittler, 2010.
5. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (1906-1961). 20 items.
6. Photographs: Ruth St. Denis (1947-1955). 12 items. Gift of Robert Lovelace, November 2003.
7. Photographs: Others [c.1950]. 5 items. Gift of Robert Lovelace, November 2003.Ruth St. Denis Papers - Finding Aid - 15
Individually Housed Items (includes Boxes 19-20)
Box 19: Glass plate negative: Ruth St. Denis “Devi Ja” (1951). 1 item.
Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972. Ruth St. Denis: Pioneer & Prophet: Being a History of Her Cycle of Oriental Dances (1920). 2 volumes. Note: Signed by both St. Denis and Shawn.
Poster: “Ruth St. Denis” – with image of her posing. 72 x 105 cm.
Box 20: Banner: Ruth St. Denis - “Blue Poster.” 104 x 202 cm.
Bibliography
Roseman, Janet Lynn. Dance was her religion: the sacred choreography of Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham. Prescott, Ariz.: Hohm Press, 2004.
Shawn, Ted. Ruth St. Denis: pioneer & prophet; being a history of her cycle of oriental dances. San Francisco: printed for J. Howell by J. H. Nash, 1920.
St. Denis, Ruth. Ruth St. Denis, an unfinished life, an autobiography. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1939.
St. Denis, Ruth. Wisdom comes dancing: selected writings of Ruth St. Denis on dance, spirituality, and the body. Seattle, WA: PeaceWorks, 1997.