Influences in Choreography

Though not as noted during his time as many of his contemporaries, due to limited monetary funds as well as his west coast location, Lester Horton contributed a great deal to the dance field as a choreographer. Horton’s childhood interest in Native American culture continued throughout his lifetime and perpetrated its way into his choreography as he studied Iroquois, Red River, Penobscot, and Ojibway tribes. Examples of pieces based on this research include the Kootenai War Dance, the Azteca Ballet, and the Spell of the Totem.  However, Horton did not limit himself to covering just one ethnic group. In fact, his skill for translating and creating relatable ethnic dances landed him several jobs choreographing for films in the 40’s and 50’s. Horton’s willingness to explore various ethnicities and cultures also led him to focus on social issues of the day, such as racial violence and injustice. In fact, according to danceheritage.org, for two decades he became known for “an individual technique and theatrical style that embraced themes of social and political protest as well as satire.” Much of the historical context of America during this time was heavily focused around World War II and the fight for civil rights, and this would make its way into Horton’s choreography.

Horton also drew themes from stories and biblical accounts. Salome is an example of one of his pieces, which is drawn from the Bible, and Horton actually created several remakes of this work throughout his lifetime. Another one of his dances that was created along these lines is The Beloved. This piece is based on the story of a man who, upon hearing of his wife’s alleged infidelity, beat her to death with a Bible. These are examples of another way that Horton incorporated his love of culture into his choreography, as “his interest in ethnic dance, culture, history, and humanity were articulated in every facet of his work” (kennedy-center.org). 

Horton also tried to maintain a sense of uniqueness in his creations, and his approach to dance was a key aspect of how he achieved this goal. He valued all features of a performance, and therefore was involved in each aspect, such as costumes, music, sets, and lighting. Horton achieved success in this endeavor of combining all elements of the theater, and this eventually evolved into what he named “choreodramas.” One way this concept came about was through his work with Oscar Wilde’s play Salome, which he directed a production of at a theater in California. His successful staging of the play included attention to movement and positions, with one reviewer calling it a verbal ballet. As stated in a biography of Horton, written by Larry Warren, “Much of the work was heavily pantomimic but facial expressions were kept blank. The drama was to come from the body or not at all. Salome may well have been the first attempt by any modern dance choreographer to sustain a dramatic story line in this way. It certainly was the first of many evenings of Lester Horton’s Total Theater” (jstor.org).

From Native Americans, to life in the Midwest, to social concerns of the day, Horton drew from  a diverse array of subjects to shed light upon through his choreography. “His fascination with ethnic dance, human sensuality, and cultural history was expressed in a prodigious body of work with themes ranging from the classics to melodrama, social concerns to farce” (memory.loc.gov). While some of his works are still being reset on companies today, Horton also left a valuable impression on the world of dance production and how dance could be incorporated into the artistic experience.

Works Cited: danceheritage.org, kennedy-center.org, jstor.org: Dance Research Journal, memory.loc.gov, contemporary-dance.org

A Brief History

Born in Indiana in 1906, a child of sharecroppers, Lester Horton grew up fascinated with the Native American way of life. He dove into this curiosity by going to museums as a young child, and later on this passion would have an important influence in his development as an artist. Horton's interest in dance was sparked when he first saw Ted Shawn, as well as the Denishawn Company, perform. He began studying various dance forms, including ballet and Native American dance, and attended the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, went on to train under Adolf Bloom, a former dancer for Vaslav Nijinsky, and finally danced with Michio Ito.

Upon breaking out on his own, Horton played a key role in bringing modern dance to the west coast, as he based himself in Los Angeles. The Lester Horton Dance Group was formed in 1932, and it became the first racially integrated dance company in the country. Horton also focused on a holistic approach to the arts, calling his pieces “choreodramas”, and having himself and his dancers design and create all of their costumes and sets.  Horton’s Dance Theater was formed in 1946, and it served as an academy and also the home of his company. The company disbanded in 1950, but the Dance Theater remained until 1960 –seven years after Horton’s death.

As a choreographer, Horton continued to draw upon his enchantment with Native American culture, and also based much of his work on life in the Midwest. Some of his most famous works include Le Sacre du Printemps, To José Clemente Orozco, numerous versions of Salome, The Beloved, Flight from Reality, Art Patrons, and Conquest. Horton also shared his talents with Hollywood, choreographing for several films. Besides being a choreographer, Horton was similar to artists such as Humphrey and Graham in that he established his own technique for dance. He valued the natural movement and shape of the body, and “developed his technique by studying anatomy and by formulating exercises to strengthen and open up the body for performance in any style" (dancemagazine.com). Among his most notable students are Alvin Ailey, Bella Lewitzky, Joyce Trisler, James Truitte, Arthur Mitchell, and Carmen de Lavallade, who have proceeded to pass on the Horton technique to further generations.    

 

Works Cited: danceheritage.org, dancemagazine.com, kennedy-center.org