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Finding Aid for the Ruth St. Denis papers, 1880-1968
1031
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Title: Ruth St. Denis papers
Date (inclusive): 1880-1968
Collection number: 1031
Creator:
St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968
Extent:
163 boxes (81.5 linear ft.)
10 oversize boxes
Abstract: Ruth St. Denis (1880-1968) appeared in Broadway musicals as a teenager and was a protégé of David Belasco. She based her career
on interpretations of dances from India, Egypt and Asia with titles such as Cobras, Incense, Radha, Egypta, and O-Mika. In
1914, Ruth teamed up with Ted Shawn to create a school called Denishawn in Los Angeles. She was also the founder of the Society
for the Spiritual Arts (1934) and began the Church of the Divine Dance at her studio in Los Angeles (1946). The collection
consists of 200 bound volumes of handwritten journals, as well as 27 rolls of diaries on microfilm, beginning at the turn
of the century and continuing until the weeks before St. Denis's death.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Language of the Material:
Materials are in English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
COLLECTION IS CURRENTLY BEING PROCESSED AND IS CLOSED. Boxes 1-3 available on microfilm. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk to access the microfilm.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Ruth St. Denis, purchase, 1966.
- Brother St. Denis, purchase, 1968.
- Gift of Brother St. Denis, 1969.
- Catherine Barnes, purchase, 1987.
[Identification of item], Ruth St. Denis papers (Collection Number 1031). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, UCLA.
Ruth St. Denis was born as Ruth Dennis on January 20, 1880 in New Jersey; as a teenager she appeared in Broadway musicals
and was a protégé of David Belasco; she based her career on interpretations of dances from India, Egypt and Asia with titles
such as Cobras, Incense, Radha, Egypta, and O-Mika; teamed up with Ted Shawn in 1914 to create a school called Denishawn in
Los Angeles; toured with dancers including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and future film stars Louise Brooks
and Carol Dempster; founder, Society for the Spiritual Arts, 1934; began the Church of the Divine Dance at her studio on Cahuenga
Blvd. in Los Angeles, 1946; died in Hollywood, California, on July 21, 1968.
Collection consists of 200 bound volumes of handwritten journals, as well as 27 rolls of diaries on microfilm, beginning at
the turn of the century and continuing until the weeks before St. Denis's death. Topics include her performances, dance ideas,
religious and aesthetic views, community and social problems, travels, personal life, and public image as an artist.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968--Archives.
Women dancers--California, Southern--Archival resources.
Choreographers--California, Southern--Archival resources.
Diaries.