Ruth Ester Pearl Hanson was an Icelandic dancer, swimmer and film maker. She is credited with being the first female

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

in Iceland for her 1927 dance film made in collaboration with Loftur Guðmundsson.

Early life

Ruth was of Danish descent, the daughter of merchant Hannes Snæbjörnsson Hanson and Gerda Hanson. She studied

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

before returning to

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

in 1926. Shortly later she opened a dance school where she taught modern dance. She was a known swimmer and in 1927 she became the first woman, and the third person overall, to swim the ''Engeyjarsund'', a swim route from

Engey Engey () is the second largest island of the Kollafjörður ( Faxa Bay) fjord in western Iceland. Located north of the capital Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern I ...

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

. In 1927, she hired Loftur Guðmundsson, a well known photographer and filmmaker in Iceland, to assist her in making a dancing film where she performed Flat-Charleston with her 14-year-old sister, Rigmor S. Hanson. The film was shown in theaters in December 1927.

Later life

In 1929, Ruth married a Scot and moved to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

References

1906 births Year of death missing Ruth Hanson Ruth Hanson Ruth Hanson Ruth Hanson {{film-producer-stub