Ruth St. Denis & Ted Shawn Like Isadora Duncan, Loïe Fuller and
Mary Wigman, Ruth St. Denis (1879–1968) is considered one of the
matriarchs of modern dance. Moving seamlessly between popular
entertainment and theatrical dance, Eastern and Western
influences and the spiritual and sensual, St. Denis not only
made great strides in elevating American dance to an artform,
but also presented women as complex and autonomous. Similarly,
Ted Shawn (1891–1972), St. Denis’ husband and partner, was one
of the first American male dance artists to earn national
recognition and champion dance as a valid form of expression for
men. Together, the pair created Denishawn, an ambitious
performing company that toured extensively throughout the U.S.
and abroad from 1915 to 1931, as well as a school with an
impressive roster of students, including Martha Graham, Doris
Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In addition, Shawn founded Jacob’s
Pillow, which has become a critical venue for dance in North
America. St. Denis was born Ruth Dennis