Edna Guy
Encyclopedia
Edna Guy was an African-American modern dance
pioneer. Born in 1907 in Summit, New Jersey
, Guy lived at a time when blacks and whites did not appear on stage together. At the age of fifteen she begged her mother to take her to a dance concert in Greenwich Village
where she watched Modern Dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis
perform the Incense Dance. From that point onwards Guy developed a life-long relationship with modern dance world, especially in the African- American context.
, funding her training to the best of their ability. After seeing Ruth St. Denis perform, Guy became smitten with her and sent her a note backstage which she signed “Edna Guy, colored girl”. St. Denis mentions in her autobiography “An Unfinished life” that she was touched by Guys note; the very note which was the impetus for a continuous wave of correspondence between the two. Guy lionized St. Denish, calling her “utterly beautiful” in one of the poems she later wrote for her and yearned to dance at Denishawn , the school set up by St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn
but St. Denis deemed her unready. Still, St. Denis was highly maternalistic in her correspondence with Guy which lasted between 1923 and 1940 . In fact, St Denis herself wrote “from that day until now I have become her white mama” . This statement is especially significant because Guy’s mother died in 1920 .
With few options available in concert dance for people of her race, Guy auditioned as a chorus girl but was never cast in any roles because she was too dark. In one letter, St. Denis responded to Guy’s frustrations saying:
"Dear Girlie, Yes, I know you have this race problem with you constantly, and a big problem it is. But, you see, dear, you are a very ignorant little girl in relation to the conditions in this big city. Some things cannot be forced or hurried". The two concurred that Guy needed to become more technically skilled before entering Denishawn and so she stayed under the tutelage of Ms. Linnel, her dance teacher in Harlem
who taught entertainment-geared dance and did not plunge Guy in to the modern dance world that she longed to be a part of.
In 1924 Guy was finally admitted to the Denishawn School in New York .
. She also took private classes from Paul Mathis and repertory classes from Hazel Krans who taught her dances such as ‘ ‘Temple Bells’ ‘ and ‘ ‘Dancing Girl of Dehli’ ‘. Guy wrote of her earlier experience at Denishawn in a letter to St.Denis: “The future holds much brightness for me—I smile, I learn, I dance and wait—and I’m happy” . During this time, Guy was also taking classes at Hunter College
, studying typing and shorthand . She first travelled with the company from September 1927 until May 1928 as St. Denis’ personal assistant .
After three years of training at Denishawn, Guy was still only allowed to perform in-house recitals, her race being the hindering factor . In 1930 she continued as St. Denis’ seamstress and wardrobe assistant. At this time also, Guy, in conjunction with friends, created dances to Negro spirituals that her mother loved . While St . Denis was away on tour Guy was asked to leave the company due to a misunderstanding . They did however reconcile later on in life .
. She struggled with depression which disrupted her desire to start her own company but by March 1931 she was performing with the New Negro Art Theatre as a featured artist alongside Winfield. For this show, she choreographed and performed Madrassi Nautch, a variation of one of St.Denis’ most popular types of dances. Soon after, in April 1931 she co- directed the “First Nero Dance Recital In America” with Winfield during which she performed the piece A Figure From Angkor Wat. She also staged other works that year, including her “dance spirituals”, at the Chanin Theatre. In May of the same year she put on a concert at Harlem
’s 138th Street Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA
) in which her choreography was followed by St. Denis’ lecture entitled Dance as An Art. Guy also received mention in the August 1931 issue of Dance Magazine
, announcing that she was to feature in an upcoming staging of Oscar Wilde
’s Salome
with the Sierra Leone
an born Asadata Dafora
. On May 7, 1932 Guy staged a concert at Roerich hall in a program organized by the Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expressionism . where she performed five solos including African Plastique, her first piece in which she drew from African themes .
In 1937 Guy cemented her role as an organizer in the African-American dance community when she and Allison Burroughs staged Negro Dance Evening on March 7. This show catapulted Katherine Dunham
’s company, which at the time included dancer/ choreographer Talley Beatty
, into the limelight. The concert highlighted different cultures of the African diaspora . In the third part of the program, dubbed United States , the piece Shout was performed by Guy and Burroughs with Clarence Yates, Archie Savage, Leonard Barros . In the final section of the concert, Modern Trends, Guy performed her solo After Gauging. The program was concluded by a performance of Negro Songs of Protest, a piece co-choreographed by her and Burroughs. The show was reviewed in Dance Magazine and deemed “spectacular entertainment” . In that same year Guy organized “Dance International” which took place at Rockefeller Center
and featured performances of about forty groups. In 1938 Guy opened a dance school in New York and in 1939 she served on the American Dance Association committee.
. By this time she had given up her dance career, in part due to the Great Depression
. She suffered a series of heart attacks in the mid 1940s. By the 1960s she was again living in New York, in the city of Hudson
. Edna Guy died in 1982 in Fort Wayne, Texas, where she had been living for the previous eight years.
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
pioneer. Born in 1907 in Summit, New Jersey
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
, Guy lived at a time when blacks and whites did not appear on stage together. At the age of fifteen she begged her mother to take her to a dance concert in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
where she watched Modern Dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis was an early modern dance pioneer.-Biography:Ruth St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program in 1938 which was one of the first dance departments in an American university...
perform the Incense Dance. From that point onwards Guy developed a life-long relationship with modern dance world, especially in the African- American context.
Early years
Guy’a parents lived a meager existence but still encouraged their only child’s interest in danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, funding her training to the best of their ability. After seeing Ruth St. Denis perform, Guy became smitten with her and sent her a note backstage which she signed “Edna Guy, colored girl”. St. Denis mentions in her autobiography “An Unfinished life” that she was touched by Guys note; the very note which was the impetus for a continuous wave of correspondence between the two. Guy lionized St. Denish, calling her “utterly beautiful” in one of the poems she later wrote for her and yearned to dance at Denishawn , the school set up by St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
but St. Denis deemed her unready. Still, St. Denis was highly maternalistic in her correspondence with Guy which lasted between 1923 and 1940 . In fact, St Denis herself wrote “from that day until now I have become her white mama” . This statement is especially significant because Guy’s mother died in 1920 .
With few options available in concert dance for people of her race, Guy auditioned as a chorus girl but was never cast in any roles because she was too dark. In one letter, St. Denis responded to Guy’s frustrations saying:
"Dear Girlie, Yes, I know you have this race problem with you constantly, and a big problem it is. But, you see, dear, you are a very ignorant little girl in relation to the conditions in this big city. Some things cannot be forced or hurried". The two concurred that Guy needed to become more technically skilled before entering Denishawn and so she stayed under the tutelage of Ms. Linnel, her dance teacher in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
who taught entertainment-geared dance and did not plunge Guy in to the modern dance world that she longed to be a part of.
In 1924 Guy was finally admitted to the Denishawn School in New York .
Years at Denishawn
In a letter dated August 31, 1924, Guy mentions starting Denishawn in October of that year . Her primary teacher was Katherine Edison who taught her technique and dramatic gesture based on the principles of DelsarteFrançois Delsarte
François Alexandre Nicolas Chéri Delsarte was a French musician and teacher.Delsarte was born in Solesmes, Nord. He was a pupil of the Paris Conservatory, was for a time tenor singer in the Opéra Comique, and composed a few songs. However, he is chiefly known as a teacher in singing and...
. She also took private classes from Paul Mathis and repertory classes from Hazel Krans who taught her dances such as ‘ ‘Temple Bells’ ‘ and ‘ ‘Dancing Girl of Dehli’ ‘. Guy wrote of her earlier experience at Denishawn in a letter to St.Denis: “The future holds much brightness for me—I smile, I learn, I dance and wait—and I’m happy” . During this time, Guy was also taking classes at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, studying typing and shorthand . She first travelled with the company from September 1927 until May 1928 as St. Denis’ personal assistant .
After three years of training at Denishawn, Guy was still only allowed to perform in-house recitals, her race being the hindering factor . In 1930 she continued as St. Denis’ seamstress and wardrobe assistant. At this time also, Guy, in conjunction with friends, created dances to Negro spirituals that her mother loved . While St . Denis was away on tour Guy was asked to leave the company due to a misunderstanding . They did however reconcile later on in life .
After Denishawn
Now on her own, Guy started off struggling, engaging in odd jobs including those of maid, cook and artists model . She auditioned for pieces but never got any roles, which she stated was because “the light skinned girls with the flashing eyes” got all the parts . Guy began to connect with other artists such as fellow African-American dancer/ choreographer Hemsley WinfieldHemsley Winfield
Hemsley Winfield was an African-American dancer who together with Edna Guy created the New Negro Art Theater Dance Group.-Early years:...
. She struggled with depression which disrupted her desire to start her own company but by March 1931 she was performing with the New Negro Art Theatre as a featured artist alongside Winfield. For this show, she choreographed and performed Madrassi Nautch, a variation of one of St.Denis’ most popular types of dances. Soon after, in April 1931 she co- directed the “First Nero Dance Recital In America” with Winfield during which she performed the piece A Figure From Angkor Wat. She also staged other works that year, including her “dance spirituals”, at the Chanin Theatre. In May of the same year she put on a concert at Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
’s 138th Street Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
) in which her choreography was followed by St. Denis’ lecture entitled Dance as An Art. Guy also received mention in the August 1931 issue of Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine is an "influential" American trade publication for dance, currently published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as The American Dancer. William Como was its editor-in-chief from 1970 to his death in 1989. Wendy Perron became its editor-in...
, announcing that she was to feature in an upcoming staging of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
’s Salome
Salome
Salome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
with the Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
an born Asadata Dafora
Asadata Dafora
Austin Dafora Horton widely known as Asadata Dafora was a Sierra Leonean multidisciplinary musician. He was one of the first Africans to introduce African drumming music to the United States, beginning in the early 1930s...
. On May 7, 1932 Guy staged a concert at Roerich hall in a program organized by the Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expressionism . where she performed five solos including African Plastique, her first piece in which she drew from African themes .
In 1937 Guy cemented her role as an organizer in the African-American dance community when she and Allison Burroughs staged Negro Dance Evening on March 7. This show catapulted Katherine Dunham
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was an American dancer, choreographer, songwriter, author, educator, and activist...
’s company, which at the time included dancer/ choreographer Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers, and also bears the titles dancer, educator, and dance company director...
, into the limelight. The concert highlighted different cultures of the African diaspora . In the third part of the program, dubbed United States , the piece Shout was performed by Guy and Burroughs with Clarence Yates, Archie Savage, Leonard Barros . In the final section of the concert, Modern Trends, Guy performed her solo After Gauging. The program was concluded by a performance of Negro Songs of Protest, a piece co-choreographed by her and Burroughs. The show was reviewed in Dance Magazine and deemed “spectacular entertainment” . In that same year Guy organized “Dance International” which took place at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
and featured performances of about forty groups. In 1938 Guy opened a dance school in New York and in 1939 she served on the American Dance Association committee.
Later years
Edna Guy married Walter McCully on May 21, 1939, and later moved with him to Enfield, New HampshireEnfield, New Hampshire
Enfield is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,582 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Enfield, Enfield Center, Upper Shaker Village, Lower Shaker Village, Lockehaven, and Montcalm....
. By this time she had given up her dance career, in part due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. She suffered a series of heart attacks in the mid 1940s. By the 1960s she was again living in New York, in the city of Hudson
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York, United States. The city is named after the adjacent Hudson River and ultimately after the explorer Henry Hudson.Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County...
. Edna Guy died in 1982 in Fort Wayne, Texas, where she had been living for the previous eight years.
Works by Edna Guy
- Madassi Nautch (1931)
- Luleta’s Dance (1932)
- After Gaugin (1932)
- Gimme Yo Han (1932)
- Juba (1932)
- Negro Songs of Protest (co- choreographed with Alison Burroughs; 1937)