Florence O'Denishawn (born Florence Andrews, July 21, 1897 – March 15, 1991), was an American actress and model, and one of the first group of dancers associated with the Denishawn school.
Florence Andrews was born in Shreveport, Louisiana,[1][2] the daughter of a banker.[3] She studied dance with Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis in their "Denishawn" school in California.[4][5] When she became a professional dancer, she wanted to be billed as "Florence of Denishawn", but the name became "Florence O'Denishawn" in a printing error,[6] and she continued working under that version.[7]
Career
O'Denishawn's stage credits included Hitchy-Koo (1918-1920),[1]Ziegfeld Follies of 1921,[8]Rose Briar (1922), Music Box Revue (1923),[9] and Honeymoon Lane (1926).[10] Of her appearance in Music Box Revue, critic George Jean Nathan noted that her "umbilical revelations are so familiar by this time that one wishes she would put on a dress."[11] She was cast in two silent films, Lawful Larceny (1923)[12] and Monsieur Beaucaire (1924), in the latter dancing with Rudolph Valentino.[13] In 1925, she headlined a vaudeville shows in New York and Baltimore, with dancers Nelson Snow and Charles Columbus.[14][15] She toured with Snow and Columbus in 1927 and 1930[16]
O'Denishawn gave a celebrity endorsement to a brand of footcare plasters.[21] In 1926, she performed at a benefit show for the Episcopal Actors' Guild.[22] In 1927 she performed in another benefit show, dancing at a midnight cabaret to raise funds for the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children.[23] She danced for a cause again in 1930, at a variety show to benefit the Bide-A-Wee Home for Animals.[24]
O'Denishawn embarked upon the study of aviation in 1927, saying "there is nothing that can beat an aeroplane for grace."[25] From the late 1930s into the 1950s, O'Denishawn worked in shops, running her own store in Greenwich Village,[26] and as head of the lingerie department at Porter's department store on Madison Avenue.[27][28]
Opinions
O'Denishawn spoke about "prudery" and artistic expression, saying "There is no mental health in a nation that is afraid to trust itself in the presence of the nude."[29] In 1928, O'Denishawn decried popular dances like the Charleston or the Black Bottom with blatant racism, saying "Dances that are admittedly of a barbaric origin — the shimmy, Charleston, and others — are proving an insidious evil in the way of depriving our American women of their natural grace and movement," further explaining that "Negro anatomy is not the same as ours. The pose of the knees, the modelling of the hips, the line of the feet makes those dances right for the Negro" but not for white dancers.[30]
^ ab"In the Spotlight: Florence O'Denishawn". Theatre Magazine. 28: 20. July 1918.
^"The Facts About Miss O'Dennishawn". New York Times. April 10, 1927. p. X4 – via ProQuest.
^Kendall, Elizabeth (1984-01-01). Where She Danced: The Birth of American Art-dance. University of California Press. p. 154. ISBN9780520051737.
^Jowitt, Deborah (1989-01-01). Time and the Dancing Image. University of California Press. p. 145. ISBN9780520066274.
^Shawn, Ted. Ruth St. Denis. Рипол Классик. pp. 91–92. ISBN9785876412140.
^"Actress' Irish Name Result of Printer's Error". The Buffalo Enquirer. March 20, 1919. p. 7. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. pp. 307–308. ISBN9780415938532.
^"Shreveport Girl Premier Danseuse, Due to Ted Shawn". The Times. October 31, 1921. p. 3. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^Hadden, Briton (October 1, 1923). "The Theatre". Time. 2: 16.
^Dietz, Dan (2019-04-10). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 73–74, 323–324. ISBN9781538112823.
^Nathan, George Jean (October 20, 1923). "Glorifying the American Tired Business Man". The Judge. 85: 17.
^"Lawful Larceny". Photoplay. 24: 117. October 1923.
^"Florence O'Denishawn in 'Monsieur Beaucaire'". The Tennessean. March 16, 1924. p. 38. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"The Week in Vaudeville". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 30, 1925. p. 61. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Dancer Heads Bill at Two-a-Day". The Baltimore Sun. August 16, 1925. p. 42. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Nelson Snow, Dancer, Dies". The New York Times. January 24, 1931. p. 19 – via ProQuest.
^"Winter Interludes Which are Instinct with Grace and Rhythm". Vanity Fair. 20: 42. December 1923.
^Flanagan, Barbara (February 6, 1976). "Old Bookshop Has New Home". The Minneapolis Star. p. 21. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^Flanagan, Barbara (June 25, 1982). "Vandal Tumbles Sculpted Bronze Beauty from Pedestal at Charlie's". Star Tribune. p. 33. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^Flanagan, Barbara (August 30, 1979). "Woman Behind Foshay's Nudes Never Met Him". The Minneapolis Star. p. 33. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Advertisement, Blue Jay plasters". Arizona Republic. May 12, 1926. p. 12. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Actors' Guild Holds Benefit". The New York Times. November 21, 1926. p. X14.
^"Rainbow Ball Tonight". The New York Times. April 22, 1927. p. 12 – via ProQuest.
^"Bide-A-Wee Benefit has 'Variete' Program". The New York Times. April 26, 1930. p. 26 – via ProQuest.
^"Untitled news item". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 5, 1927. p. 65. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^Hughes, Alice (June 7, 1938). "A Woman's New York". The Star Press. p. 7. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Untitled news item". Daily News. September 28, 1955. p. 82. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^Roe, Dorothy (September 30, 1956). "Ziegfeld Follies Girls Pop Up in Varied Places". The Crowley Post-Signal. p. 4. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Artist Renaissance is Foreseen by Dancer". The Evening Sun. August 20, 1925. p. 22. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Vogue of Present Barbaric Dances an Insidious Evil, Believes Star". The Courier-Journal. March 4, 1928. p. 25. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
A 1917 photograph of Florence O'Denishawn, in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Photographs of Florence O'Denishawn available at Getty Images.
January 20, 2023
florence, denishawn, born, florence, andrews, july, 1897, march, 1991, american, actress, model, first, group, dancers, associated, with, denishawn, school, from, 1922, publicationbornflorence, andrews, 1897, july, 1897shreveport, louisiana, diedmarch, 1991, 1. Florence O Denishawn born Florence Andrews July 21 1897 March 15 1991 was an American actress and model and one of the first group of dancers associated with the Denishawn school Florence O DenishawnFlorence O Denishawn from a 1922 publicationBornFlorence Andrews 1897 07 21 July 21 1897Shreveport Louisiana U S DiedMarch 15 1991 1991 03 15 aged 93 New York City New York U S NationalityAmericanOccupation s Dancer Actress Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Opinions 4 Personal life 5 References 6 External linksEarly life Edit Florence O Denishawn from a 1918 publication Florence Andrews was born in Shreveport Louisiana 1 2 the daughter of a banker 3 She studied dance with Ted Shawn and Ruth St Denis in their Denishawn school in California 4 5 When she became a professional dancer she wanted to be billed as Florence of Denishawn but the name became Florence O Denishawn in a printing error 6 and she continued working under that version 7 Career EditO Denishawn s stage credits included Hitchy Koo 1918 1920 1 Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 8 Rose Briar 1922 Music Box Revue 1923 9 and Honeymoon Lane 1926 10 Of her appearance in Music Box Revue critic George Jean Nathan noted that her umbilical revelations are so familiar by this time that one wishes she would put on a dress 11 She was cast in two silent films Lawful Larceny 1923 12 and Monsieur Beaucaire 1924 in the latter dancing with Rudolph Valentino 13 In 1925 she headlined a vaudeville shows in New York and Baltimore with dancers Nelson Snow and Charles Columbus 14 15 She toured with Snow and Columbus in 1927 and 1930 16 O Denishawn posed for photographer NIckolas Muray 17 and for sculptor Harriet Whitney Frishmuth 18 19 She posed for two bronze statues by Frishmuth named Papillon and Scherzo which were commissioned by Wilbur Foshay for Foshay Tower 20 O Denishawn gave a celebrity endorsement to a brand of footcare plasters 21 In 1926 she performed at a benefit show for the Episcopal Actors Guild 22 In 1927 she performed in another benefit show dancing at a midnight cabaret to raise funds for the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children 23 She danced for a cause again in 1930 at a variety show to benefit the Bide A Wee Home for Animals 24 O Denishawn embarked upon the study of aviation in 1927 saying there is nothing that can beat an aeroplane for grace 25 From the late 1930s into the 1950s O Denishawn worked in shops running her own store in Greenwich Village 26 and as head of the lingerie department at Porter s department store on Madison Avenue 27 28 Opinions EditO Denishawn spoke about prudery and artistic expression saying There is no mental health in a nation that is afraid to trust itself in the presence of the nude 29 In 1928 O Denishawn decried popular dances like the Charleston or the Black Bottom with blatant racism saying Dances that are admittedly of a barbaric origin the shimmy Charleston and others are proving an insidious evil in the way of depriving our American women of their natural grace and movement further explaining that Negro anatomy is not the same as ours The pose of the knees the modelling of the hips the line of the feet makes those dances right for the Negro but not for white dancers 30 Personal life EditO Denishawn died in 1991 aged 93 years in New York There is a file of her correspondence with Ted Shawn in the Jacob s Pillow Dance Festival archives in Becket Massachusetts 31 References Edit a b In the Spotlight Florence O Denishawn Theatre Magazine 28 20 July 1918 The Facts About Miss O Dennishawn New York Times April 10 1927 p X4 via ProQuest Kendall Elizabeth 1984 01 01 Where She Danced The Birth of American Art dance University of California Press p 154 ISBN 9780520051737 Jowitt Deborah 1989 01 01 Time and the Dancing Image University of California Press p 145 ISBN 9780520066274 Shawn Ted Ruth St Denis Ripol Klassik pp 91 92 ISBN 9785876412140 Actress Irish Name Result of Printer s Error The Buffalo Enquirer March 20 1919 p 7 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Cullen Frank Hackman Florence McNeilly Donald 2007 Vaudeville old amp new an encyclopedia of variety performances in America Psychology Press pp 307 308 ISBN 9780415938532 Shreveport Girl Premier Danseuse Due to Ted Shawn The Times October 31 1921 p 3 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Hadden Briton October 1 1923 The Theatre Time 2 16 Dietz Dan 2019 04 10 The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals Rowman amp Littlefield pp 73 74 323 324 ISBN 9781538112823 Nathan George Jean October 20 1923 Glorifying the American Tired Business Man The Judge 85 17 Lawful Larceny Photoplay 24 117 October 1923 Florence O Denishawn in Monsieur Beaucaire The Tennessean March 16 1924 p 38 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com The Week in Vaudeville The Brooklyn Daily Eagle August 30 1925 p 61 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Dancer Heads Bill at Two a Day The Baltimore Sun August 16 1925 p 42 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Nelson Snow Dancer Dies The New York Times January 24 1931 p 19 via ProQuest Winter Interludes Which are Instinct with Grace and Rhythm Vanity Fair 20 42 December 1923 Flanagan Barbara February 6 1976 Old Bookshop Has New Home The Minneapolis Star p 21 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Flanagan Barbara June 25 1982 Vandal Tumbles Sculpted Bronze Beauty from Pedestal at Charlie s Star Tribune p 33 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Flanagan Barbara August 30 1979 Woman Behind Foshay s Nudes Never Met Him The Minneapolis Star p 33 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Advertisement Blue Jay plasters Arizona Republic May 12 1926 p 12 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Actors Guild Holds Benefit The New York Times November 21 1926 p X14 Rainbow Ball Tonight The New York Times April 22 1927 p 12 via ProQuest Bide A Wee Benefit has Variete Program The New York Times April 26 1930 p 26 via ProQuest Untitled news item The Cincinnati Enquirer June 5 1927 p 65 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Hughes Alice June 7 1938 A Woman s New York The Star Press p 7 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Untitled news item Daily News September 28 1955 p 82 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Roe Dorothy September 30 1956 Ziegfeld Follies Girls Pop Up in Varied Places The Crowley Post Signal p 4 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Artist Renaissance is Foreseen by Dancer The Evening Sun August 20 1925 p 22 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Vogue of Present Barbaric Dances an Insidious Evil Believes Star The Courier Journal March 4 1928 p 25 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Jacobs Pillow Archive File Florence Flossie O Denishawn Florence Flossie O Denishawn 54 archives jacobspillow org Retrieved 2019 04 07 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Florence O Denishawn Florence O Denishawn at IMDb Florence O Denishawn at the Internet Broadway Database A 1917 photograph of Florence O Denishawn in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library Digital Collections Photographs of Florence O Denishawn available at Getty Images Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Florence O 27Denishawn amp oldid 994123637, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
