Ruth St. Denis

Ruth St. Denis (January 20, 1878- July 21,1968) was an early modern dance pioneer.

Egyptian Inspiration

St. Denis' artistic imagination was ignited by these artists. She became very interested in the dance/drama of Eastern cultures( ), including those of Japan, India and Egypt. She was also influenced by Bernhardt's melodramatic acting style, in which the tragic fate of her characters took center stage. After 1900, St. Denis began formulating her own theory of dance/drama based on the dance and drama techniques of her early training, her readings into philosophy, scientology and the history of ancient cultures, and the work of artists like Yacco and Bernhardt. In 1904, during one of her tours with Belasco, she saw a poster of the goddess Isis in an ad for Egyption for Egyption Deities cigarettes. The image of the goddess sparked her imagination and she began reading about Egypt, and then India.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~