- Eleanor King
Infobox actor
name = Eleanor King
imagesize =
caption = Dancing in her self-choreographed work "Hornpipe" in 1935.
Photography by Barbara Morgan
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1906|02|08
birthplace =Middletown, Pennsylvania
deathdate = death date and age|1991|02|27|1906|02|08
deathplace =Haddonfield, New Jersey
othername = Eleanor Campbell King
occupation =modern dancer ,choreographer ,professor
groups =Humphrey-Weidman Dance CompanyTheater Dance Company
Eleanor King Dance Repertory Company
American Dance Repertory TheaterUniversity of Alabama , professor
yearsactive = 1927-1991
spouse =Eleanor Campbell King (1906–1991) was an American
modern dancer ,choreographer , and educator. She was a member of the originalHumphrey-Weidman company, where she was aprincipal dancer in the pioneeringmodern dance movement in New York, then moving on to choreography and founding her own dance company inSeattle, Washington . [cite news|title=Eleanor King, a modern dancer and choreographer, dies at 85|date=1991-03-02|author=Dunning, Jennifer|work=New York Times |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDE1F38F931A35750C0A967958260&scp=2&sq=%22eleanor%20king%22&st=cse] She was aprofessor emerita of theUniversity of Arkansas , where she taught from 1952 to 1971, before retiring toSanta Fe, New Mexico to start a new course of study into classical Japanese andKorean dance . She choreographed over 120 dance works, and wrote extensively for a variety of dance publications. In 1948, she was named Woman of the Year in Seattle, and in 1986 was listed as a "Santa Fe Living Treasure", also receiving the New Mexico Governor's Artist Award. In 2000, her archive was recognized by theWhite House Millennium Council 's "Save America's Treasures " program.Biography
King was born
February 8 1906 inMiddletown, Pennsylvania , the daughter of George Ilgenfritz and Emma Kate Campbell King. She had a brother, John, and sister, Lucile. She attendedClare Tree Major School of the Theatre in 1925, andTheatre Guild School in 1926, studying dance withDoris Humphrey andCharles Weidman . Humphrey and Weidman had been involved with the pioneeringDenishawn School inNew York City , and then split off to form their ownHumphrey-Weidman dance company. King began taking classes from them, and was then invited to be a part of the new dance company. She made her 1928 debut in "Color Harmony", considered the first Americanabstract ballet . In 1930, she appeared inLeonide Massine 's "Sacre du Printemps" at theMetropolitan Opera House . She stayed with the company until 1935, when she began soloing and choreographing. In 1937 she was a co-founder of the Theater Dance Company, and her first major work, "Icaro", was produced in 1938. She became known for choreography based on works of literature, fromPetrarch toJames Joyce .In 1942, she formed the Eleanor King Dance Repertory Company in
Seattle , followed by the Eleanor King Dance Studio in 1945. In 1955, she studiedmime withEtienne Decroux . In the late 1950s, she began studying JapaneseNoh dances. Her first performance of these was inTokyo in 1958. She created the Theatre of the Imagination program at theUniversity of Arkansas , where she taught for much of her career, from 1952 to 1971. She was an assistant professor from 1952-1967, associate professor from 1967-1971, and was awarded professor emerita status in 1971. In her retirement, she moved toSanta Fe, New Mexico , and at age 70 began studying classicKorean dance .She became more famous in the 1980s, when revivals of her work were staged by Annabelle Gamson in 1987 and 1988 in New York. The solos were praised in "
The New York Times " for their "eloquence and for Miss King's careful shaping of ideas and feelings".King was a member of the
Congress on Research in Dance , and director ofMino Nicolas 's American Dance Repertory Theater, a position she held until her death onFebruary 27 1991 inHaddonfield, New Jersey .In 2000, King's archived collection of work was recognized by President Clinton's
White House Millennium Council , under theSave America's Treasures project. The materials, including 60 years of manuscript material, correspondence, personal papers, drawings, photographs, slides, costumes, books, articles, and reviews are being preserved byCross-Cultural Dance Resources , a non-profit dance research organization inFlagstaff, Arizona . In 2008, it was announced that the collection was going to be moved to theHerberger College of the Arts atArizona State University inTempe, Arizona , for permanent curation. 49 boxes of the King Collection are also available at theNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts . [cite web|url=http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/dan/pdf/danking.pdf|format=pdf|title=Guide of the Eleanor King Papers, 1916-1991|publisher=New York Public Library for the Performing Arts |accessdate=2008-06-16|date=2004]Writing
* "Transformations: The Humphrey-Weidman Era" (Memoir),
Dance Horizons (Brooklyn, NY), 1978
* King, Eleanor. "The Way of Japanese Dance: an Illustrated Journal", 1982 (unpublished)
* (started) "Transformations II: To The West"She also contributed to: "
Dance Observer ,Christian Science Monitor ,Dance Magazine ,Journal of Health ,Physical Education, and Recreation ,Korea Journal ,Arirang ,Quarterly Journal of Performing Arts ,Korean Culture ,Dance Research Annual ".Eleanor King Trust
The Eleanor King Trust was founded by Andrea Mantell-Seidel, dancer/educator, who for 18 years was Eleanor King’s primary protege. The Trust was formed to preserve and promote the work of Eleanor King. Trustees include:
* Dr.
Joann Kealiinohomoku , Executive Director, Cross-Cultural Dance Resources
* Daniel Lewis, Dean ofNew World School of the Arts , Dance Division
* Nicole Plett, Dance Critic, "New York Times "Awards
* Jane Cowl Romeo and Juliet Essay Contest, gold medal, 1923
* Bennington School of the Dance, fellowship, 1938
* "Woman of the Year", Santa Fe, 1948
*Fulbright research grants, 1967, 1976, 1977
* American Association of Dance Companies, honoree, 1975
* Vogelstein Foundation grant, 1976
* Santa Fe Dance Umbrella, 1980
* Santa Fe Living Treasure, 1986
* New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, 1987
*National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, 1988Notes
References
* "International Dictionary of Modern Dance",
St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1998.
* Jowitt, Deborah,"Village Voice ", March 13, 1991, obituary
* Cass, Joan, "Dancing through History," Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1993.
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*Marquis Who's Who , 2007
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*External links
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