Monday, December 8, 2014

Back ground about Doris Humphrey

As one of most famous dancer in U.S, Doris Humphrey was born in Oak Park on October 17, 1895. Her father was a journalist and hotel manger who named Horace Buckingham Humphrey. And her mother was a pianist who called Julia Ellen Wells. Her mother's ancestor were from England to Boston. And her father arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. Thus Doris was tenth generation American.


Under her mother's encouragement, Doris accepted dance training in an early age. However, her dancer teacher Mary Wood Hinman who taught her from kindergarten through high school enlighten her to explore dance. later on, Miss Hinman held pageants and programs that arouse her to be a dancer. then Miss Hinman encourage Doris to attend  to summer program in Denishawn school in Los Angeles in 1917. this is start of Doris dance career. Her talent was approved by her instructor. After this, Miss Ruth encourage her to choreograph. she created many works still be performed today.


Charles Weidman is a important collaborator for Doris Humphrey. After two years she dancing throughout the United State , Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman quit from Denishwan school. they went to New York, and established Humphrey-Weidman company. And they led to the new dance--modern dance.

this is vedio that Doris Humphrey dance with Weidman at that time.








3 comments:

  1. I'm very interested in Weidman and Humphrey's relationship and how they worked together as dancers and choreographers. I know that they influenced each other a lot and had a company together which later became the start of the Jose Limon Dance Company. It would have been great to receive a little more information about how they influenced each other.

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  2. Marlene Viloria:
    I think its almost comical that her ancestor's can be traced all the way back to the conservative, Puritan travelers on the Mayflower. She was such a progressive person, in dance and in her general lifestyle choices. I also find it interesting that she needed so much motivation and confirmation in order to contiinue studying dance. Of course she was young and probably didn't have a lot of confidence, but still. Dance would be so different today if she had not been a dancer, so I am sure that the dance community is grateful for of the people who pushed her to become the amazing dancer that she was. She could have so easily become something else so easily.

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  3. i was interested in Doris Humphrey. she was a dance and choreographer of the early twentieth century. she was one of the second generation modern dance pioneers who followed their forerunners.

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