One of the first modern dance choreographers, American Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) played a large role in determining the course of modern dance in the United States. While Martha Graham was a contemporary whose career lasted longer and had a broader influence, Humphrey, an early abstractionist, like George Balanchine, had an equally important role in developing twentieth-century modern dance through her choreography for the ensemble.

Doris Batcheller Humphrey was born October 17, 1895, in Oak Park, Illinois. She was the only child of Horace Buckingham Humphrey, a hotel manager, compositor, newspaperman, and photographer, and his wife, Julia, a musician and housekeeper at the theatrical hotel her husband managed. Humphrey's ancestors included author Ralph Waldo Emerson.

From an early age Humphrey studied dance and showed she had talent in it. Her parents encouraged her interest, and she was trained in several disciplines, including ballet. Humphrey graduated from the Francis W. Parker School...