Lampkin, Lucy

Dance teacher, Lucy Phelps Lampkin (born 1903), who trained with many notable figures in the fields of modern dance and dance education (including Lucile Marsh and Ruth St. Denis), operated her own dance studio in her native Athens, Georgia for many years.

Lampkin opened the Lucy Lampkin School of the Dance and Related Arts in 1928 and continued to direct it through 1968. She had studied many dance forms intensively in New York and Europe, working with Michel Fokine (ballet), Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and Mary Wigman, among others. Examples of choreographic notes, syllabi, and other teaching materials in the collection appear to indicate that Lampkin had been profoundly influenced as a teacher by Lucile Marsh, as well as the Isadora Duncan System (Lampkin studied with both Elizabeth and Irma Duncan). She also did extensive research on sculpture and painting in relation to dance at a number of museums in America and in Europe, eventually publishing a book on the subject, The Dance in Art (1935). Lampkin had some performing experience, briefly appearing as a soloist with a concert group, the Marsh Dancers (run by Agnes and Lucile Marsh), in New York City. After closing her studio, Lampkin retired from active teaching.

Born October 6, 1903 in Athens, Georgia, Lucy Phelps Lampkin was educated there in a private elementary school, Lucy Cobb School (1909-1917) and in public high school (1917-1921). She attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia for two years (1923-1924) and then transferred to Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in order to study piano (1923-1924). She received her A.B. degree from the University of Georgia in 1928. From 1928-1930 she studied dance in New York. When she returned to Athens in 1928 she established her own teaching studio.

Lucy Phelps Lampkin made an intensive study of all the art systems of the Dance at their source, having studied with Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Michel Fokine, Mary Wigman (Wigman Central Institute, Dresden) and with Elizabeth Duncan, sister of Isadora, in Europe. Further study included work at Columbia and New York University, as well as with Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Irma Duncan, Lucile and Agnes Marsh, Angel Cansino, and Ella Daganova. She also studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics, piano, dramatic art, poetry, costume design and history of art.

Ms. Lampkin also researched the health and physical aspects of dance by work in Corrective Gymnastics at Central School of Hygiene and Physical Education, New York City, and by case study and observation at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. She did extensive research in sculpture and painting in relation to dance at a number of museums in America and in Europe.

Lucy Lampkin has appeared as soloist with Lucile Marsh, who she assisted for three summer sessions at the University of Georgia, Denishawn House, NYC, and as a guest-artist of the Physical Therapy Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

After closing her studio in 1968, she retired from active teaching.