Chronology of Significant Events in Modern Dance Development
From Don McDonaghs Complete Guide to Modern Dance
1862Loie Fuller, the first of the forerunners of modern dance is born in
the midst of the Civil War to a theatrical family.
1877Ruth Dennis, who changed her name to St. Denis for the stage, is born on a farm in New Jersey.
1878Across the continent, Isadora Duncan is born in San Francisco
1883Maud Allen is born in Toronto, Canada, and is brought to San Francisco at an early age.
1884Composer Louis Horst is born in Kansas City, Missouri.
1891Edwin Meyers (Ted) Shawn is born in Kansas City, Missouri.
1894` In bustling Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Martha Graham is born the first of three daughters, two of whom make dancing a career.
1895Doris Humphrey is born in Oak Park, Illinois.
1901Charles Weidman is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1905In New York, Helen Becker (Tamiris) is born.
1906Lester Horon is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1908José Limón is born in Mexico and is taken to the United States as a young child.
1912Alwin Nikolais is born in Southington, Connecticut.
1914Ruth St.Denis and Ted Shawn marry and form Denishawn, as school and company that is an amalgam of their names and talents.
1915Anna Sokolow is born in New York.
1916Martha Graham takes first dance instruction at Denishawn in Los Angeles. Louis Horst accompanies her first class.
1917Margaret Hdoubler starts teaching dance in the physical education department of the University of Wisconsin.
1918Doris Humphrey joins the Denishawn company.
1921Charles Weidman joins Denishawn and is sent out to partner Martha Graham in her fist starring role of Xochitl.
1922Denishawn enters into its most successful years in touring both at home and abroad for the rest of the decade.
1923Martha Graham leaves Denishawn and joins the Greenwich Village Follies.
1926The University of Wisconsin becomes the first college to have a degree program in dance at the bachelors and masters level.
Martha Graham forms her fist company and makes her performing debut in her own choreography.
1927Isodora Duncan dies in the South of France.
John Martin appointed as the first dance critic of the New York Times.
Mary Watkins appoint first dance critic for the New York Herald-Tribune.
1928Loie Fuller dies.
Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman leave Denishawn and form their own
company and establish a dance studio.
1929Martha Graham presents her all-female dance group and creates Heritic, her first real work of special genius.
1930José Limón joins the Humphrey-Weidman company and remains with it through the end of the decade.
Mary Wigman, German expressionist dancer, tours the United States for the
first time with her company.
Paul Taylor is born.
Anna Sokolow joins the Martha Graham company.
Dance Repertory Theater is formed by Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey,
Tamiris, and Charles Weidman to present a week of joint performances.
1931Hanya Holm establishes Mary Wigman school, in New York.
Alvin Ailey is born in Rogers, Texas.,
1932Martha Graham and her company appear on the opening program of
Radio City Music Hall.
Denishawn completes last tour and disbands.
Katherine Dunham establishes her school in Chicago.
1933Ted Shawn organizes his all-mail company, Ted Shawn and His Men
Dancers.
John Martin publishes The Modern Dance.
1934Bennington College Summer School of the Dance is established by Martha Hill and Mary Josephine Shelley at Bennington, Vermont. The faculty in the first year includes Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman.
Louis Horst founds Dance Observer to ensure modern dance a responsive
critical journal.
YM-YWHA at Ninety-second Street and Lexington Avenue in New York
offers dance instruction and a performing theater to modern dance at the
urging of director William Kolodney.
1936Doris Humphrey completes her trilogy New Dance, Theater Piece, and With My Red Fires.
1937Dance International Festival in New York included modern dancers, Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey, Tamiris, and Charles Weidman as well as ballet performers.
Marth Graham becomes the first dance to appear in the White House when
she gives a performance for the President and Mrs. Roosevelt.
Merle Armitage designs and edits a book of tributes to Martha Graham.
1939First televised modern dance, Hanya Holms Tragic Exodus.
Bennington College Summer School of the Dance holds it session at Mills
College in Oakland, California. Martha Graham discovers Merce
Cunningham and invites him to join her company.
1940Ted Shawn disbands his men dancers at the end of its tour.
1941Ted Shawn founds Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.
1942Edwin Denby appointed dance critic of the New York Herald-Tribune and retains post until the end of World War II.
The distinguished Dance Index begins publication.
Bennington College Summer School of the Dance closes.
1944Merce Cunningham creates Root of an Unfocus and later dates his choreographic emergence from this time.
Doris Humphrey retires from the stage because of an arthritic hip, pursues
her later career as choreographer, teacher, and artistic director of the José
Limón company.
Charles Weidman forms his own company.
Katherine Dunham forms touring company.
1946Tamiris choreographs the musical Annie Get Your Gun.
José Limón forms his own company.
1947Merce Cunningham choreographs and performs The Seasons with Ballet Society, the precursor of the New York City Ballet.
1948Dance Collection of the New York Public Library established.
Establishment of the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College.
Charles Weidman creates Fables for Our Times.
Hanya Holm choreographs the musical Kiss Me, Kate.
Alwin Nikolais appointed director of Henry Street Settlement Playhouse.
1949Bethsabee de Rothchild presents a series featuring modern dance companies at the New York City Center 55th Street Theater.
1951Dance Associates founded by James Waring to present the work of experimental young choreographers.
1952Juilliard School of Music establishes a dance department with the encouragement of its president, William Schuman.
Anna Halprin opens her experimental workshops in San Francisco.
1953Merce Cunningham offers a full week of performances at the Off-Broadway Theater de Lys, his first entire weeks since founding his company.
Lester Horton dies.
1954Paul Taylor forms his first company.
Doris Humphrey wins the Capezio Dance Award.
José Limóns company tours South America. The first modern dance
company to do so under the sponsorship of the State Department.
1955Louis Horst wins the Capezio Dance Award.
1956Maud Allan dies.
1957Alvin Ailey forms his first company.
Ted Shawn wins the Capezio Dance Award.
1958Doris Humphrey dies.
Martha Graham creates her first full evening work, Clytemnestra.
1959Alwin Nikolais presents excerpts from his dances on NBC television. Eventually he works with the medium specifically designing dances made to be seen only on screen.
Doris Humphreys The Art of Making Dances is published.
Martha Graham choreographs Episodes in collaboration with George
Balanchine of the New York City Ballet.
1960Martha Graham wins the Capezio Dance Award.
1961The New York State Council of the Arts is founded.
Ruth St.Denis wins the Capezio Dance Award.
1962Judson Dance Theater established at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan to present the work of experimental choreographers. The first performance was given by graduates of musician Robert Dunns dance composition course.
1963Donald McKayle wins the Capezio Dance Award.
Martha Graham undertakes major foreign tour, appears triumphantly
in London.
1964Paul Taylor tours Europe.
Merce Cunningham tours Europe and Middle East
American Dance Theater formed under the artistic direction of José
Limón.
Louis Horst dies.
José Limón wins the Capezio Dance Award.
1965Twyla Tharp forms her own company.
National Foundation of the Arts and Humanities established in
Washington, D.C.
1966Association of American Dance Companies formed.
Tamiris dies.
Twyla Tharp presents Re-Moves, her first dance of special achievement.
1967Paul Taylor wins the Capezio Dance Award.
1968Ruth St,Denis dies.
Festival of Dance featuring sixteen companies co-ordinated by
Charles Rienhart begins.
1969Martha Graham retires from active performing.
John Martin wins Capezio Dance Award.
1970An accelerating movement among companies to incorporate themselves as
non-profit corporations to receive public and private funding.
1972José Limón dies.
Alvin Ailey establishes his company as resident modern dance company at
the New York City Center 55th Street Theater.
Ted Shawn dies.
1973Martha Graham reorganizes her company after an absence of two years.
LePercq Space opened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for experimental
dance and drama productions in a nonproscenium area.
1974Twyla Tharp choreographs As Time Goes By, her second work for the City Center Joffrey Ballet
1975Martha Graham creates Lucifer, a work for international ballet stars Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev and her company
1975Charles Weidman dies.
The book from which this information was taken was published in 1977. Much has happened since then, but this is an accurate recording of the beginnings through most of the twentieth century of the first, second, third and beginning of the fourth generation of modern dancers and other great contributors.