Stodelle, Ernestine, 1912-2008

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Ernestine Stodelle, one of the foremost chroniclers of modern dance in America, was born in 1912 in Oakland, California. Her professional dance career began when she became a member of the pioneer modern dance company of Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman (1929-1935). She jointly choreographed works with Jose Limon, Eleanor King and Letitia Ide in the Little Group, a subsidiary ensemble of the Humphrey-Weidman Company, and later became a partner and choreographer with Jose Limon and his company. During the later 1930s, Stodelle gave concerts of her own work in Paris and Switzerland, and introduced American modern dance to European audiences by giving lecture-demonstrations of Doris Humphrey's technique. After the war, she returned to America and established dance studios in several Connecticut locations, and began publishing articles in periodicals and newspapers. Stodelle became well-known as a dance critic and writer, and authored two books, one on Doris Humphrey and one on Martha Graham. While in Europe, Stodelle had married her first husband, theater director and stage designer, Theodore Komisarjevsky. After his death she married John R. Chamberlain, a nationally-known journalist. Together they opened her dance studio in Cheshire, Connecticut, where for the next fifty years, she continued to teach modern dance to both children and adults and to oversee her resident dance company, the Silo Concert Dancers. As the living witness of the genius of Doris Humphrey, Stodelle's life's work focused on reconstructing and teaching the dances of her mentor, and she staged recreations of Humphrey's work in England, The Netherlands, Canada, and throughout the USA. She also was an adjunct professor of dance criticism and aesthetics at New York University from 1970 until 1991. At age 85, Stodelle was still coaching young dancers at the Doris Humphrey Society in Oak Park, Illinois, helping them produce several videos on Humphrey's work. She lived to be 95, dying in Santa Barbara in 2008.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Komisarjevsky, Theodore, 1882-1954. Theodore Komisarjevsky correspondence with Phillada Sewell, 1929-1968 (inclusive), 1930-1954 (bulk). Houghton Library
creatorOf Stodelle, Ernestine,. Interview with Ernestine Stodelle. New York Public Libraries for the Performing Arts, Dance Collection
creatorOf Eleanor King papers, 1916-1991, 1951-1991 The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.
referencedIn Papers, 1912-1970 (inclusive), 1912-1954 (bulk). Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, 1906-2001. Anne Morrow Lindbergh papers, 1906-1997 (inclusive). Yale University Library
referencedIn King, Eleanor. Papers, 1931-1991. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Stodelle, Ernestine. Miscellaneous papers. Jacksonville University, Carl S. Swisher Library
referencedIn Dance Notation Bureau Collection, 1930- The Ohio State University. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Insitute.
referencedIn King, Eleanor. Papers. New York Public Libraries for the Performing Arts, Dance Collection
referencedIn Weidman, Charles. Papers, ca. 1908-1975. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Ernestine Stodelle correspondence, 1945-1975 The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.
referencedIn Theodore Komisarjevsky correspondence with Phillada Sewell, 1929-1968 (inclusive), 1934-1954 (bulk). Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
creatorOf Stodelle, Ernestine. Ernestine Stodelle correspondence, 1945-1975. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Stodelle, Ernestine. Ernestine Stodelle papers, circa 1965-1993 Houghton Library
creatorOf Stodelle, Ernestine. Ernestine Stodelle papers, 1925-2006. Newberry Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Dance Notation Bureau (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Doris Humphrey Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Graham, Martha. person
associatedWith Horst, Louis. person
correspondedWith Humphrey, Doris, 1895-1958 person
associatedWith Humphrey-Weidman Company corporateBody
associatedWith José Limón Dance Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Kealinohomoku, Joann person
associatedWith Kernodle, George Riley, 1907- person
associatedWith King, Eleanor. person
associatedWith King, Eleanor, 1906-1991 person
associatedWith Komisarjevsky, Theodore, 1882-1954. person
associatedWith Leabhart, Thomas person
correspondedWith Limón, Jose person
associatedWith Limón, José person
associatedWith Limón, José person
associatedWith Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, 1906-2001. person
associatedWith Lippincott, Gertrude Lawton person
associatedWith Matsumoto, Kōshirō, 1870-1949. person
associatedWith Midwest Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) corporateBody
associatedWith Morgan, Barbara Brooks, 1900-1992. person
associatedWith Newberry Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Nishitani, Martha person
associatedWith Park, Young-Ae, person
associatedWith Pischl, A. J person
associatedWith Seidel, Andrea person
correspondedWith Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972 person
associatedWith Spencer, A. C. (Arthur Champlin), b. 1872. person
associatedWith Stevenson, Grace person
correspondedWith Terry, Walter person
associatedWith University of Arkansas, Fayetteville corporateBody
associatedWith Watt, Nina. person
correspondedWith Weidman, Charles person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Choreographers
Choreographers
Dance
Dance critics
Dance critics
Dance critics
Dance notation
Dancers
Dance teachers
Dance teachers
Dance teachers
Dance teachers
Manuscripts, American
Modern dance
Modern dance
Women dancers
Women dancers
Occupation
Choreographer
Dance critics
Dancers
Dance teachers
Activity

Person

Birth 1912

Death 2008

Americans

English

Information

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Ark ID: w6d230dr

SNAC ID: 47897221