Ruth St. Denis

I just learned about Ruth St. Denis, another pioneer in Modern Dance. She had (like Isadora Duncan) a rather miscellaneous dance training as a young dancer. She then went into Broadway where she changed her name from Ruth Denis to Ruth St. Denis. After she saw a cigarette poster with an Egyptian Goddess named Isis, she developed an obsession with creating a dance that portrayed this particular goddess. This obsession evolved over time and after creating the Denishawn company with Ted Shawn, and then it dissolving, she focused on religious dances. The biggest accomplishment people link her to is the Denishawn school and how she helped Ted Shawn create Jacob's Pillow.

Reflection
I thought it was interesting to notice the similarities between Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis. I understand that she was known as a modern dancer, but I wonder if people question that because she did so much religious, oriental, and mystical dance. Next I will research Humphrey and Weidman. At some point I also want to look into what non-dancers and dance-enthusiasts think what modern dance is.