Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn Papers

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Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn papers

Processed by Anja Espinoza and Jamie Madrigal, Student Processing Assistants, 2015. Special Collections & University Archives The UCR Library P.O. Box 5900 University of California Riverside, California 92517-5900 Phone: 951-827-3233 Fax: 951-827-4673 Email: [email protected] URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives © 2015 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn MS 069 1 papers Descriptive Summary Title: Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn papers Date (inclusive): 1904-1999, undated Date (bulk): 1923-1972 Collection Number: MS 069 Creator: St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968 Creator: Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972 Extent: 4.52 linear feet(8 boxes, 2 flat file folders) Repository: Rivera Library. Special Collections Department. Riverside, CA 92517-5900 Abstract: Ruth St. Denis was one of the first internationally known modern dancers, and was famous for her cultural dance performances. Ted Shawn was a male pioneer for American modern dance, and was St. Denis' dance partner for a large part of their careers. This collection contains correspondence, business and personal documents, publications, and photographs regarding the personal and professional lives of St. Denis and Shawn. Also included are biographical manuscripts of Ruth St. Denis, agendas written by Ted Shawn, and material regarding the Denishawn Dance School, the Society of Spiritual Arts, and many of their dance productions and programs. Languages: The collection is primarily in English. Access This collection is open for research. Publication Rights Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user. Preferred Citation [identification of item], [date if possible]. Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn papers (MS 069). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside. Acquisition Information The Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn papers were acquired as a gift by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in 1966. Processing History This collection was processed by Jamie Madrigal and Anja Espinoza, Student Processing Assistants, 2015. Processing of the Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections and University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Bergis Jules, University and Political Papers Archivist, and Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts Curator. Biographical Note Ruth St. Denis was born January 27th, 1879, in Newark, New Jersey. One of the first internationally known modern dancers, Ruth St. Denis was first inspired by modern dance when she saw the Egyptian goddess Isis on a cigarette poster in 1904. She met Ted Shawn in 1911 at a performance, and they soon became artistic partners and spouses afterward. Together, they created the Denishawn School of Modern Dance in Los Angeles, California, in 1914. Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis separated in 1930, but remained good friends. The Denishawn School was also disbanded in 1930. In 1931, St. Denis formed the Society of Spiritual Arts to spread religious worship and mysticism through dance. Ruth St. Denis later also founded the Church of Divine Dance in Hollywood, California, where masses and rituals relating dance to religion took place. She remained active in the dance and religious spheres until her death at the age of 89. Ruth St. Denis passed away July 21st, 1968, in Hollywood, California. Ted Shawn, born October 21, 1891, was a male pioneer for American modern dance. In addition to creating the Denishawn School of Modern Dance, he formed an all male company call Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers. Through this company, Shawn intended to bring awareness to dance from a male perspective. Ted's all male company led to the creation of the Jacob's Pillow: a dance school, retreat, and theater. Jacob's Pillow ultimately became an internationally acclaimed annual

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn MS 069 2 papers dance festival. Ted Shawn taught at Jacob's pillow up until his death in 1972. Collection Scope and Contents This collection contains correspondence, business and personal documents, press clippings, programs, photographs, and other material in relation to Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, two of the first pioneers of modern dance in the early and mid 20th century. Much of the material highlights Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn's work at the Denishawn School of Modern Dance, The Society of Spiritual Arts, and a dance festival called Jacob's Pillow. Also included in this collection is material relevant to St. Denis' and Shawn's individual careers, such as the founding of the dance group "Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers", and Ruth St. Denis' solo performances, as well as other related documents. Other materials in this collection include a large amount of photographs of St. Denis and Shawn, a few unpublished manuscripts and poems written by St. Denis, and a book about Ted Shawn's dancing career. Collection Arrangement This collection is arranged into four series as follows: Series 1. Correspondence, 1919-1994, undated Series 2. Documents, 1907-1971, undated Series 3. Publications,1904-1999, undated Series 4. Photographs, 1904-1982, undated Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog. Subjects St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968 Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972 Denishawn Dancers Dance Modern dance Genres and Forms of Materials Clippings (information artifacts) Correspondence Photographs

Series 1. Correspondence 1919-1994, undated Series Scope and Contents This series contains personal and professional correspondence regarding Ruth St. Denis. Correspondence topics include productions St. Denis was involved in, lectures she gave at different universities, planning in relation to The Society of Spiritual Arts, and other artistic pursuits. Personal correspondence involved letters to Ted Shawn and other friends and family. Series Arrangement This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.

Box 1, Folders 1-2 Personal correspondence 1919-1972, undated Box 1, Folders 3-4 Business correspondence 1927-1994 Series 2. Documents 1907-1971, undated Series Scope and Contents This series contains various personal and business documents relating to Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. This series includes unpublished manuscripts and poetry of Ruth St. Denis's, agendas from their travels, and financial receipts and records. Also included are documents relating to the Denishawn House and the Society of Spiritual Arts. Series Arrangement This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn MS 069 3 papers Series 2. Documents 1907-1971, undated

Box 2, Folder 1 Ruth St. Denis' manuscripts 1933-1959 Box 2, Folders 2-3 Ruth St. Denis' personal documents 1907-1963, undated Box 2, Folder 4 Ted Shawn's personal documents 1925-1971 Box 2, Folder 5 Ruth St. Denis' and Ted Shawn's business documents 1923-1971, undated Series 3. Publications 1904-1999, undated Series Scope and Contents This series contains newspaper clippings, published articles, pamphlets, programs relating to the professional and personal activities of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, and a book about Ruth St. Denis. There are also advertisements for the many productions performed by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, including the Jacob's Pillow festival. Series Arrangement This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.

Box 3, Folders 1-6 Newspaper clippings pertaining to Ruth and Ted and their businessess 1914-1993, undated Box 4, Folders 1-3 Published articles and complete magazines, including reviews of performances and other subjects 1906-1992 Box 4, Folders 4-6 Pamphlets about Ruth St. Denis, Jacob's pillow, and other subjects 1904-1979, undated Box 5, Folder 1, Advertisements for shows, classes, lectures, and other events 1910-1993, undated Flat-File-Folder 2 Box 5, Folder 2 Published piano and vocal sheet music undated Box 6, Folders 1-6 Programs (including drafts, some with hand annotation) pertaining to Ruth and Ted 1916-1999 Box 8, Folder 1 Published articles and complete magazines, including reviews of performances and other subjects 1906 Series 4. Photographs 1904-1982, undated Series Scope and Contents This series contains photographs and artwork related to Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. A large majority of the photographs were taken during dance productions and performances, portraying Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in elaborate costumes inspired by Eastern cultures. Series Arrangement This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.

Box 7, Folder 1 Group photographs of performances, events, and dancers in costume 1918-1982, undated Box 7, Folder 2 Ted Shawn (solo) photographs in costume 1919-1937, undated Box 7, Folder 3 Ruth St. Denis (solo) photographs in costume 1904-1956, undated Box 7, Folder 4 Landscape photographs of Denishawn House 1927, undated Box 7, Folder 5 Photographs of Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis together 1911-1929, undated Box 7, Folder 6, Drawings and prints of Ruth and Ted in costume 1967-1969, undated Flat-File-Folder 2 Box 8, Folder 2 Group photographs of dancers in costume (oversize) 1906-1913, undated Box 8, Folder 3, Solo photographs of Ruth St. Denis (oversize) 1910-1930, undated Flat-File-Folder 1 Box 8, Folder 4 Photographs of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn together (oversize) 1919-1929 Box 8, Folder 5 Solo photographs of Ted Shawn (oversize) 1919-1928

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn MS 069 4 papers