Dance Overview.

The 1930s were a period during which America shook off European influences in order to develop its own ballet and its own modern dance, both with distinctly American themes. While Martha Graham experimented with mystical imagery, Helen Tamiris created dances based on Walt Whitman's poetry, and across the nation jitterbugs created an interracial swing subculture whose frenetic signature dance alarmed moralists.

Duncan and St. Denis.

Until Ruth St. Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn, formed their Denishawn dance company in 1915 in Los Angeles, Americans had to rely on European touring companies for their dance. In fact, both St. Denis and Isadora Duncan got their starts in theatrical productions and danced extensively in Europe before coming back to the United States. Duncan's influence sprang in large part from her image, which was one of unfettered sexuality. She derived her plots from classical sources, but...