Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers

Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers
Name	Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers
Formed	1915
Disbanded	1940
Founder	Ted Shawn
Location	United States
Genre	Modern dance
Notable	Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, Jacob's Pillow

Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers

Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers was a pioneering male modern dance company founded by choreographer Ted Shawn in the United States. The company emerged from Shawn's work with Ruth St. Denis and the Denishawn school, toured nationally and internationally, and contributed to the development of American modern dance through performances, pedagogy, and the establishment of Jacob's Pillow. Its activities intersected with institutions, artists, and cultural movements across North America and Europe.

Formation and Early Years (1915–1925)

Shawn began teaching and choreographing after training with Ruth St. Denis and at Denishawn alongside figures like Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham, influenced by tours linked to venues such as the New York Hippodrome and the Ziegfeld Follies. Early recruits included students from the School of American Ballet milieu and performers connected to companies like Ballets Russes and impresarios such as Sergei Diaghilev. Shawn's shift toward an all-male ensemble responded to debates at institutions including the Metropolitan Opera and festivals such as the 1913 Armory Show and later collaborations resonated with choreographers like Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, and Ruth Page. Financial and social pressures during the World War I era and the Roaring Twenties shaped touring patterns and repertoire choices.

Touring Company and Repertoire

The company toured extensively across theaters in cities such as New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and international stops including London, Paris, and Berlin. Repertoire combined indigenous-inspired solos, ensemble works, and athletic pageants that echoed pieces by Ted Shawn and contemporaries like Hanya Holm, Charles Weidman, and Helen Tamiris. Performances were presented in concert halls, athletic clubs, and university venues such as Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and at festivals including the Bennington Summer School of the Dance and the International Society for Contemporary Music events. Programs frequently referenced or responded to works by Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, George Balanchine, and scenic designs linked to artists who worked with Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Gordon Craig.

Influence on Male Dance and American Modern Dance

Shawn's emphasis on male virtuosity challenged gender norms pervasive in organizations like the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and in ballet institutions exemplified by The Royal Ballet. The company influenced the pedagogy at centers including Juilliard School, Mills College, and the Bennington College dance program, and inspired male-focused endeavors by choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, and José Limón. Shawn's work intersected with cultural conversations involving figures like W.E.B. Du Bois, audiences at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and critics writing in publications tied to editors from The New York Times and The New Yorker. His promotion of dance as athletic spectacle paralleled developments in Y.M.C.A. programming and connections to stadium culture exemplified by Madison Square Garden events.

Notable Members and Collaborations

Company members included dancers and collaborators who later became prominent in American dance education and choreography, such as Hermann Bessell, Elliot Gardner, and artists who later worked with institutions like Jacob's Pillow, Bennington College, and the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. Collaborations involved musicians, composers, and designers associated with Charles Ives, Darius Milhaud, Aaron Copland, Isamu Noguchi, and scenographers in the circle of Adolphe Appia. Tours and commissions connected Shawn with impresarios like Sol Hurok and led to engagements with venues curated by directors from Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Decline, Disbandment, and Legacy

Economic pressures during the Great Depression and changing tastes in post-Depression America contributed to the company's gradual decline, culminating in its disbandment as resources shifted toward Shawn's establishment of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the Berkshires. The dissolution paralleled institutional consolidation in organizations such as the American Dance Festival and the professionalization seen at conservatories including School of American Ballet and Juilliard School. Despite disbandment, the company's aesthetic and advocacy for male dancers had lasting effects on choreographers including Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and companies like New York City Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Archives, Preservation, and Commemoration

Materials related to the company are preserved in archives at institutions such as Jacob's Pillow, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and university special collections at Smith College, UCLA, and Harvard University. Preservation efforts involve curators, dance historians, and scholars connected to organizations including the Dance Heritage Coalition, Society of Dance History Scholars, and the American Dance Guild. Commemorations occur through festivals like Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, retrospectives at The Kennedy Center, exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, and scholarly work published by presses affiliated with Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Wesleyan University Press.

Category:Modern dance companies Category:American dance history