Jane Dudley (April 3, 1912 – September 19, 2001) was an American

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, and teacher. Inspired by her mentor, choreographer Martha Graham, Dudley helped bring her movement inspired by social ills to the

American Dance Festival The American Dance Festival (ADF) under the direction of Executive Director Jodee Nimerichter hosts its main summer dance courses including Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and the Dance Professional Workshops. It also ho ...

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in the 1950s.

Biography

Dudley was born in New York City on April 3, 1912. She was the daughter of Pendleton Dudley and

Hermine Jahns Hermine Dudley (née Jahns; born 1890) was an American woman who, in 1909 at age 19, accompanied Alice Huyler Ramsey when she became the first woman to drive across the United States. She later married Pendleton Dudley and was the mother of the ch ...

, and attended the Walden School in New York City. While attending the Walden School, Dudley was inspired by artists, creative thinkers, and dancers to pursue her passion for dance. Following her graduation from the Walden School, Dudley went on to study dance with

Hanya Holm Hanya Holm (born Johanna Eckert; 3 March 1893 – 3 November 1992) is known as one of the "Big Four" founders of American modern dance. She was a dancer, choreographer, and above all, a dance educator. Early life, connection with Mary Wigman B ...

, Louis Horst, and

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She ...

. In 1935, Dudley first met Martha Graham at the

Bennington Summer Course Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns ( county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populo ...

and performed in a piece titled "Panorama" with the Martha Graham Company. It was not until 1936 that she performed as part of its main stage company. During her time with the dance company, Dudley was inspired by Graham's work rooted in political ideas and its fast movements. It was also during this time that she was inspired to write about her experiences during the Great Depression as a performer.

Dudley-Maslow-Bales trio

In 1942, Dudley and Sophie Maslow both students of

formed a dance a trio with

William Bales William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conqu ...

. The trio performed all over the United States including cities such as, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. A piece titled ''Vagary'' was staged and performed in 1949 at The American Dance Festival.

John Martin John Martin may refer to: Business *John Martin (businessman) (1820–1905), American lumberman and flour miller *John Charles Martin (fl. 1913–1931), American newspaper publisher *John Martin (publisher) (born 1930), American founder of Black ...

, of

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said of Dudley's performance in 1949, "At any rate, she moves so beautifully and with such superhuman control that just to watch her is in itself a delight, let the intention be what it will." The choreography of the trio was and is still seen as representative of the 1940s as it featured folk music and captured the American spirit of the era. Writer David Wood argues that Jane Dudley's "choreography was always a pleasure to perform, but more for the doing of the movement itself than its content or its form." In 1954, the trio split up and Dudley continued to choreograph and shape American dance.

Solo career

Following the trios end, Dudley returned to

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

in the 1960s and by 1968, she had become the artistic director for Betsheva Dance Company. Two years later, in 1970, Dudley moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and continued performing as director of the London Contemporary Dance School. She married and later divorced filmmaker Leo Hurwitz with whom she had one son. Jane Dudley died in September 2001 at the age of 89 in London.

Notes

References

* Chujoy, Anatole. ''The Dance Encyclopedia''. (Simon and Schuster, 1967) * McDonagh, Don ''The Complete Guide to Modern Dance''.(Doubleday and Company, 1976) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Jane 1912 births 2001 deaths American choreographers Martha Graham Modern dancers Artists from New York City Walden School (New York City) alumni American expatriates in England