Ruth St Denis
Photograph
late nineteenth century (photographed)
late nineteenth century (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis in Incense 1906-08.
Ruth St Denis (1879-1968) was a pioneer of American Modern Dance who had little formal training but was inspired by the Delsarte advocate Genevieve Stebbins whose influence could be seen in St Denis’ early creation Incense. Incense was an Art Nouveau style dance that explored line and Stebbins’ arm drill ‘the Serpentine Series’. The music was by Harvey Worthington Loomis. Walter Terry includes a description of the dance in The More Living Life of Ruth St Denis (1969), ‘A woman in a grey sari enters bearing a tray from which wisps of smoke rise…Then, at centre stage, she places her incense tray on the ground, and as the smoke rises, her arms begin to ripple as if they were without joint or bone. The ripple appears to begin in the shoulders, then, wavelike, courses down the arms, through the fingers and out into space. The body, ever so subtly, echoes this ripple in just a hint of sinuosity in the torso….’ The dance may be seen on Youtube. The dance was included in programmes throughout St Denis' career and she continued to perform it until 1963.
Ruth St Denis was a pioneer among American and European dancers who in the early twentieth century became fascinated by images and descriptions of the dance, music, mythology, philosophy and dress of countries including Greece, Egypt, India, North Africa, Japan and Java all of which influenced the work of Ruth St. Denis throughout her long career. Initially she was entranced with Egyptian culture and imagery from her late teens, after seeing an image of the goddess Isis on an advertisement for Turkish cigarettes, and with Indian dance having seeing dancers in an East Indian Village at Coney Island in 1904 where, she recalled in her autobiography: 'the fascination of India caught hold of me'.
Ruth St Denis (1879-1968) was a pioneer of American Modern Dance who had little formal training but was inspired by the Delsarte advocate Genevieve Stebbins whose influence could be seen in St Denis’ early creation Incense. Incense was an Art Nouveau style dance that explored line and Stebbins’ arm drill ‘the Serpentine Series’. The music was by Harvey Worthington Loomis. Walter Terry includes a description of the dance in The More Living Life of Ruth St Denis (1969), ‘A woman in a grey sari enters bearing a tray from which wisps of smoke rise…Then, at centre stage, she places her incense tray on the ground, and as the smoke rises, her arms begin to ripple as if they were without joint or bone. The ripple appears to begin in the shoulders, then, wavelike, courses down the arms, through the fingers and out into space. The body, ever so subtly, echoes this ripple in just a hint of sinuosity in the torso….’ The dance may be seen on Youtube. The dance was included in programmes throughout St Denis' career and she continued to perform it until 1963.
Ruth St Denis was a pioneer among American and European dancers who in the early twentieth century became fascinated by images and descriptions of the dance, music, mythology, philosophy and dress of countries including Greece, Egypt, India, North Africa, Japan and Java all of which influenced the work of Ruth St. Denis throughout her long career. Initially she was entranced with Egyptian culture and imagery from her late teens, after seeing an image of the goddess Isis on an advertisement for Turkish cigarettes, and with Indian dance having seeing dancers in an East Indian Village at Coney Island in 1904 where, she recalled in her autobiography: 'the fascination of India caught hold of me'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Ruth St Denis (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Photographic print on card |
| Brief description | Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis (1879-1968), unidentified photographer, late nineteenth century |
| Physical description | Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis (1879-1968), unidentified photographer, late nineteenth century. The postcard features a full length three quarter profile image of St Denis who is dressed in a sari with an elaborately decorated blouse. She is standing with her left arm upraised and curved back over her head, and is holding a round disc in her right hand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'Yours/cordially/Ruth St Denis' (Handwritten annotation in ink.) |
| Credit line | Given by the Royal Academy of Music |
| Object history | This photograph is part of a collection amassed by Norman McCann (1920-1999). McCann studied at the Royal Academy of Music in the late 1940s and went on to become an impresario and the President of the British Association of Concert Agents. He collected dance material with the intention of establishing the International Dance Museum and compiling a comprehensive Who's Who of Ballet. On his death the collection was bequeathed to the Royal Academy of Music, but it contained material outside the remit of the Royal Academy and was given by the Academy to the V&A Theatre and Performance collection. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis in Incense 1906-08. Ruth St Denis (1879-1968) was a pioneer of American Modern Dance who had little formal training but was inspired by the Delsarte advocate Genevieve Stebbins whose influence could be seen in St Denis’ early creation Incense. Incense was an Art Nouveau style dance that explored line and Stebbins’ arm drill ‘the Serpentine Series’. The music was by Harvey Worthington Loomis. Walter Terry includes a description of the dance in The More Living Life of Ruth St Denis (1969), ‘A woman in a grey sari enters bearing a tray from which wisps of smoke rise…Then, at centre stage, she places her incense tray on the ground, and as the smoke rises, her arms begin to ripple as if they were without joint or bone. The ripple appears to begin in the shoulders, then, wavelike, courses down the arms, through the fingers and out into space. The body, ever so subtly, echoes this ripple in just a hint of sinuosity in the torso….’ The dance may be seen on Youtube. The dance was included in programmes throughout St Denis' career and she continued to perform it until 1963. Ruth St Denis was a pioneer among American and European dancers who in the early twentieth century became fascinated by images and descriptions of the dance, music, mythology, philosophy and dress of countries including Greece, Egypt, India, North Africa, Japan and Java all of which influenced the work of Ruth St. Denis throughout her long career. Initially she was entranced with Egyptian culture and imagery from her late teens, after seeing an image of the goddess Isis on an advertisement for Turkish cigarettes, and with Indian dance having seeing dancers in an East Indian Village at Coney Island in 1904 where, she recalled in her autobiography: 'the fascination of India caught hold of me'. |
| Associated object | THM/417 (Archive record) |
| Other number | THM/417 - Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.161-2016 |
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| Record created | April 13, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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