Doris Humphrey
Modern dance pioneer who developed the fall and recovery theory.
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[1] · via Wikipedia: Doris Humphrey · Fair use
She died in New York City on December 29, 1958.[1] Doris Humphrey spent her childhood in Chicago, Illinois, though she was born in Oak Park, Illinois.[2]
Last updated 2026-10-03 from the source article.
Life and work
After retiring from performing in 1944 due to arthritis, she became artistic director for the José Limón Dance Company.[3] William Brewster, a pilgrim who traveled on the Mayflower in 1620, is an ancestor of Humphrey.[2] The human body's reactions to gravity, particularly through the "fall and recovery" concept, were central to Humphrey's theoretical work.[3] Limón and his company continued and expanded upon Humphrey's choreographic style.[3]
What the cited sources add
The same source indicates her perspective was more analytical, with the majority of her pieces concerning the dynamics between an individual or a group.[4][5] Like Graham, Humphrey held the view that dance ought to provoke, stimulate, and educate rather than merely amuse.[4][5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Doris Humphrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Obituary: Doris Humphrey", New York Daily News, 1958-12-31, p. 996 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Doris Humphrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barzel, "The Early Years", The Doris Humphrey Society; ilDoris Batcheller Humphrey, Horace Buckingham Humphrey, Simon James Humphrey, Rebecca Brewster m John Humphrey, Simon Brewster Jr., Simon Brewster Sr., Benjami (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Doris Humphrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Au, Susan. Ballet and Modern Dance. New York: Thames & Hudson, Ltd. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Doris Humphrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Au, "Ballet and Modern Dance", Thames & Hudson, March 1988 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780500202197 ("Ballet & modern dance"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Doris Humphrey (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Doris Humphrey (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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