The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing.
There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself.
Doris Humphrey studied at Denishawn with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. There, She met Charles Weidman. At Denishawn, Humphrey and Weidman discovered they have the same views and philosophies on the art of dance and decided to leave and form their own company. They called the company Humphrey-Weidman. They created their own technique, with the main principle being fall and recovery. They had many students come through our school, one of which was José Limón. He danced with them for many years and then formed his own company and developed a technique of his own. Later, Doris became the artistic director of his company.
Doris Humphrey also wrote the book, The Art of Making Dances. She believed the “germ” of the book existed when she was a child. As a child she was a lover of music. She has memories of her mother playing MacDowell’s, “Witches’ Dance” and Sinding’s, “Rustle of Spring.” She believes she was led to dance through her background in music. Although she was terrible at playing the keyboard, she said, “Still, I think I should have preferred to be a composer of music.”
Doris Humphrey was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1895. She took ballet classes throughout her childhood and studied dance at Francis Parker School. Her teacher, Mary Wood Hinman, taught her first interpretive dance class which lead her to her first opportunity to really start exploring movement. Upon graduation, she toured her graduation piece around Santa Fe in church basements. Soon after, in 1918, Doris joins Denishawn. There she choreographs pieces such as, Valse Caprice, Soaring, and Scherzo Waltz. In 1925, she tours the orient with Denishawn. Shortly after her return, in 1928, she leaves Denishawn and forms The Humphrey-Weidman Company with Charles Weidman. Here, she creates her own way of moving that is very different from Denishawn. She focus’s on breath and working with gravity rather than against it. She plays with opposition, succession, unison, sharp action, sustained flow, and rest. She choreographs famous pieces, such as, Water Study and Life of the Bee. In 1932, she marries Charles Francais Woodford who inspires her by introducing her to different philosophies and philosophers. In 1933, she choreographs School for Husbands. In 1934, she spends her first summer teaching at Bennington alongside with Charles Weidman, Hayna Holm, and Martha Graham. After this, The Humphrey-Weidman Company continually got stronger. In 1935, Humphrey-Weidman had their first national tour where they premiered a dance trilogy and in 1940, the Humphrey-Weidman Theatre opens in New York City. In 1944, Doris made her final debut on stage dancing in her piece, Inquest. She could no longer dance due to a hip injury. This is also when Humphrey-Weidman Company came to an end. Shortly after, in 1946, Doris Humphrey became the Artistic Director of the José Limón Company. Here, she choreographed works such as, Day on Earth and Lament for Ignacio Sanchaz Mejias. In 1951, she joins the faculty at Juilliard. Also around this time, 1953, she directs a new dance company for children called “The Merry Go-Rounder’s.” In 1954, she receives the Capezio Award for outstanding contributions on Modern Dance. One of her contributions was the book she wrote entitled, The Art of Making Dances. Shortly after finishing her book in 1958 she dies leaving her legacy for many other modern dancers to follow.
