About this Collection
Ruth St. Denis (1879-1968) was a modern dance pioneer who combined spirituality and dance. Throughout her career, St. Denis's dances were greatly influenced by eastern culture and religion. In the later years of her career, Christian themes were also explored and depicted in her works. Born Ruth Dennis in New Jersey, she later added "St." as part of her stage name. St. Denis's training began as a child, with the practice of physical exercises developed by François Delsarte. This greatly influenced her future style of dance. As a teenager, she appeared in Broadway musicals and was a protégé of David Belasco. Inspired by a poster advertising Egyptian Deities Cigarettes with an image of the Egyptian goddess Iris, St. Denis began choreographing dances that expressed the goddess's mysticism. The first dance piece that brought her into the circuit of higher art was Radha, which she first performed in 1906. This dance portrayed the story of Krishna and his love for a mortal maid. St. Denis's intention was to create a work that would serve as a spiritual expression of eastern cultural themes.