Finding Aid for the Margerie Lyon Collection about Ted Shawn and the Dance, 1930-1970

Processed by Manuscripts Division staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Finding Aid for the Margerie Lyon Collection about Ted Shawn and the Dance, 1930-1970

Collection number: 1478

UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections

Manuscripts Division



Los Angeles, CA
Processed by:
Manuscripts Division staff
Encoded by:
Caroline Cubé
Online finding aid edited by:
Josh Fiala, November 2003
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Margerie Lyon Collection about Ted Shawn and the Dance,
Date (inclusive): 1930-1970
Collection number: 1478
Creator: Lyon, Margerie
Extent: 2 boxes (1 linear ft.)
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Dept. of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: Edwin (Ted) Meyers Shawn (1891-1972) was a choreographer, teacher, lecturer, and impresario, as well as a dancer for over sixty years. He made his professional debut in 1913, ballroom dancing with his partner, Norma Gould. He married Ruth St. Denis (1914), and together they founded the Denishawn School of Dancing in 1915. At the school, Shawn choreographed 185 dances and nine major ballets. He danced in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and was involved in dance entities called Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn and the Denishawn Dancers (1914-31), Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers (1933-40), and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (1940-72). The collection consists of books, newsletters, photographs, memorabilia, clippings, and programs relating to Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, Barton Mumaw and the dance.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. 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.

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Gift of Margerie Lyon, 1977.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Margerie Lyon Collection about Ted Shawn and the Dance (Collection 1478). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 2221090 

Biography

Edwin (Ted) Meyers Shawn was born on October 21, 1891 in Kansas City, Missouri; attended University of Denver; decided to become a dancer after seeing Ruth St. Denis in a vaudeville performance of Egypta; made his professional debut in 1913, ballroom dancing with his partner, Norma Gould; moved to Los Angeles and appeared in the dance movie, Dance of the Ages; married Ruth St. Denis on August 13, 1914; together they founded the Denishawn School of Dancing in 1915, influencing students such as Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey; at the school Shawn choreographed 185 dances and nine major ballets; danced in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; involved in dance entities called Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn and the Denishawn Dancers (1914-31), Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers (1933-40), and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (1940-72); was a choreographer, teacher, lecturer, and impresario, as well as a dancer for over sixty years; also wrote books, including Fundamentals of a dance education (c. 1937) and Dance we must (1946); died on January 9, 1972 in Orlando, Florida.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of books, newsletters, photographs, memorabilia, clippings, and programs relating to Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, Barton Mumaw and the dance.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Lyon, Margerie--Archives.
Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972.
St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968.
Mumaw, Barton, 1912- .
Denishawn School of Dancing.
Dance--United States--Archival resources.

Related Material

Ruth St. Denis papers (Collection 1031). Available at Dept. of Special Collections, UCLA.

Note

Description derived from in-house card file.
 

A Collection about Ted Shawn and the Dance, 1930-1970

Creator/Collector: Lyon, Margerie, collector
Physical Description: (2 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Books, newsletters, photographs, memorabilia, clippings, and programs to Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and Burton Mumaw.
  • 1. Dancing
  • 2. Dancers