Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter's Books

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

Performing the World

By: Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter

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La Meri and Her Life in Dance

Performing the World

By: Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter

This intriguing biography details the life and work of world dance pioneer La Meri (1899–1988). An American dancer, choreographer, teacher, and writer, La Meri was ahead of her time in championing cross-cultural dance performances and education, yet she is almost totally forgotten today. In La Meri and Her Life in Dance, Nancy Ruyter introduces readers to a visionary artist who played a pivotal role in dance history. Born in Texas as Russell Meriwether Hughes, La Meri toured throughout Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and the United States in the 1920s and ’30s, immersing herself in different dance traditions at a time when few American dancers explored styles outside their own. She learned about Indian dance culture from the celebrated Uday Shankar, studied belly dancing with the Moroccan sultan’s top dancer, and took flamenco lessons in Spain. La Meri spread awareness and enjoyment of the world’s myriad forms of expression before it was common for performing artists from these countries to tour internationally. Ruyter describes how La Meri founded the Ethnologic Dance Center in New York City, choreographed innovative works based on various dance cultures for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and other venues, and wrote widely on the styles and techniques of international dance genres. This long-overdue book illustrates that the popularity of world dance today owes much to the trailblazing efforts of La Meri.

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Page Count

386

Publisher

University Press of Florida

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813065119

ISBN 13

9780813065113

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

Performing the World

By: Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

Performing the World

By: Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter

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N/A

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

386

Publisher

University Press of Florida

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813065119

ISBN 13

9780813065113

The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

By: Nancy Ruyter

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The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

By: Nancy Ruyter

This study chronicles the American adaptation of the theory and practice of the French acting, singing, and aesthetics teacher, Francois Delsarte. Delsartism was introduced in the United States by Steele Mackaye, Delsarte's only American student. American Delsartism, with its emphasis on physical culture and expression, differed significantly from Delsarte's works in France. The system evolved from professional training for actors and orators to a means of physical culture and expression that became popular among middle and upper class American women and girls. It allowed nineteenth-century women to pay attention to their bodies, to explore their own physicality, and to perform in a socially acceptable venues. In its later manifestations, Delsartism influenced the innovative dance of such artists as Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn. Biographical information on the most notable figures in the development of American Delsartism is presented along with a discussion of the spread of Delsartism throughout the United States and to Germany. The Delsartean approach to training and expression is traced from Delsarte and Mackaye through the theory, teaching, and performance of Genevieve Stebbins, the most notable American proponent of the system. This work will appeal to scholars of dance history and of late nineteenth-century women's studies. Theater historians will appreciate the detailed account of the system as developed and taught by Steele Mackaye as training for actors. Although Delsartism has been acknowledged as relevant to the history of modern dance, scant information and research has previously been published which explores the movement in depth and discusses its importance to women's physical and cultural education in nineteenth-century America. Photographs illustrate the text and an extensive bibliography serves as a useful guide for further research.

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Page Count

190

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313003378

ISBN 13

9780313003370

The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

By: Nancy Ruyter

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The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

By: Nancy Ruyter

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

190

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313003378

ISBN 13

9780313003370

Book's by Nancy Lee Chalfa Ruyter

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

La Meri and Her Life in Dance

The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

The Cultivation of Body and Mind in Nineteenth-Century American Delsartism

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