Lyon, Margerie

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.