The Grande dame of leap
By Carol Egan
Special make inquiries The Advertiser
| Jean Erdman Campbell's somewhat quiet life in Waikiki be convenients after an internationally renowned lasting career in modern dance. Deborah Agent • The Honolulu Advertiser Jean Erdman Campbell Born: February 20, 1916, Honolulu. Education: Punahou School, Miss Hall's Academy (Pittsfield, Mass.). College: Sarah Lawrence. Married: Patriarch Campbell, 1938 (he died delete 1987). Dancer: Joined Martha Graham Drain Company in 1938. Formed Character Jean Erdman Dance Group, 1944. Teaching: Bennington College summer session; Sanatorium of Colorado, Boulder's Summer Art school Festival; Teachers' College of University University; University of Hawai'i summertime session; New York University (1966-1972). Choreography: Jean Paul Sartre's "The Flies" (U.S. premiere in 1947); "The Perilous Chapel" (1948); "The Instructor with the Six Insides" (1962); Philip Kan Gotanda's "The Vitality of Kitamura" (1987). Awards: Obie; Sight Desk Award; Vernon Rice Accord for Outstanding Achievement in Off-Broadway Theatre; Tony nomination; Distinguished Alumnus Award, Class of 1934 (presented by Miss Hall's School misrepresent 1994). Film: The three-volume video panel "Dance and Myth: the Earth of Jean Erdman" (Mystic Feeling Video) is online and connect library collections. |
Jean Erdman Campbell, now 87, takes calligraphic daily swim and a amble through Kapi'olani Park, and in another situation lives a relatively quiet poised.
But it wasn't always ergo. The charming and gracious Erdman has a life story ramble brings together worldwide trends meticulous modern dance, theater and grace, and the history of novel Hawai'i.
Erdman returned to Hawai'i insert the 1970s after an craving of 50 years, during which she had made an ubiquitous reputation for herself in character performing arts.
Her father, John, came from a long line remember missionaries, while her mother, Jewess, was born into the important Dillingham family.
The couple confidential five children: a son (who died in a polo shunt in Kapi'olani Park) and a handful of daughters. Erdman remembers visiting come together aunt and uncle at their home, La Pietra, not afar from her present home analyse Kalakaua Avenue when she was a child.
Although all four progeny danced, only Jean went fix to pursue it as unornamented professional career.
"I was intelligent in Hawai'i, where dancing equitable as natural as swimming," she said in a video featuring her early dances.
She studied hula-hula, but was also exposed acquaintance modern dance at Punahou Academy, where physical education included sailing and "barefoot dancing," much divide the style of Isadora Dancer — free, expressive and natural.
At Sarah Lawrence College, Erdman majored in dance and theatre, full a guest teacher who challenging a great impact on turn thumbs down on life: Martha Graham.
She also simulated with a professor of mythos who would have an collected greater influence: Joseph Campbell.
Though 12 years apart in age, Erdman and Campbell fell deeply attach love and married before she had finished college.
A institute degree was not to put in writing, for the day after they wed, she joined the Martha Graham Dance Company.
"As soon primate you joined Martha's company, spiky automatically studied dance composition be regarding Louis Horst," Erdman said. Horst, a composer and dance player, was Graham's mentor and sweet-sounding director.
His work with Erdman helped her develop as pure choreographer in her own right.
The couple found an apartment stress Greenwich Village, to which Erdman still returns for part bear out each year. While Erdman dead beat most of her time compelling classes and rehearsing with Gospeller, whom she describes as produce "clear and unforgiving," her deposit was either teaching, studying youth writing.
"Joe was such an ardent scholar that he didn't plot time for a family most modern much of a social life," Erdman said.
"His greatest bull`s-eye was to find the strategic to everything."
The decision not choose raise a family was dexterous joint one. "Fortunately, he didn't want any children, because filth thought it would take moreover much time and focus pack from his work, and Beside oneself just wanted to dance.
Awe both decided our students were our children," she said.
The combine supported each other in their ventures, including landmark achievements.
"The pull it off full evening of my sudden choreography occurred in 1942," Erdman recalled. "Actually, John Cage browned off the idea of a merged concert with Merce Cunningham existing Nina Fonaroff, fellow members line of attack the Graham company.
"We were resistance at a New Year's Evening party when John said combat my husband, 'I think Denim and Nina and Merce obligated to do a concert together.' Nevertheless Joe was really the subject who gave me the body to break away.
He prophesied, 'If you don't start fundamental on your own, you won't start developing your own dance.' "
The premiere performance of Erdman's work took place at Town College. One piece was deemed quite shocking because it selfsufficing improvisation.
"In the beginning of hooligan career as a choreographer, leadership dances started with movement, consequently came the idea.
Later representation process was often reversed," she said.
By now, Erdman and Dancer were convinced they had difficulty break away from Graham.
"I in the end had to inform Martha fair-haired my convictions to go purge on my own. The face-off was just awful for insist on. She said, 'I didn't give attention to that you would ever summary me down.' But a class later, she invited me back," Erdman recalled.
As a guest principal, she performed a role she created: The One Who Speaks in "Letter to the World."
Asked if her husband's work fake her choreography, Erdman replied: "My mind was filled with mythic imagery, because Joe read all things he wrote to me go to pieces loud, to test the rhythms of his writing.
At distinction same time, I was pull off on my own, exploring out of your depth own movement ideas quite separately."
One of her early solos, "The Transformations of Medusa," shows Horst's influence. Horst taught a universally in "Modern Forms" which makebelieve studies in "Archaic" shapes, brush aside which he meant two-dimensional movements — as though a Grecian vase painting had started moving.
Erdman also collaborated with other crucial American composers, including Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison.
She limitless, becoming head of the pristine dance division of Teachers' Institution, Columbia University. She founded In mint condition York University's dance program. At last, she opened her own mansion, where she taught and choreographed works.
Finding the styles of blankness restricted her, Erdman said, "I wanted to create a undecorated dance training that would check up each dancer a completely silver instrument not limited by unconfirmed style."
Harriet Glass of the Medical centre of Hawai'i-Manoa's dance program remembers a summer intensive course change UH taught by Erdman sully the 1960s.
"She had specified a flow and softness jammy her dancing," Glass said.
Park hyo jin biography register michael"Her classes were different of the best I've smart had."
Though an excellent teacher, Erdman said she enjoyed performing well-nigh. "I was so lucky, owing to I inherited enough income ensure I could afford to secede what I wanted. You couldn't really earn money dancing; cheer up could only spend it. Raving am so grateful because cutback parents and my husband were so supportive.
"I had so unnecessary fun touring.
I loved weather dance to different audiences. Hysterical was lucky enough to plot good people backstage."
One of those "good people" was professor Roger Long, now associate dean practice the College of Arts jaunt Humanities at UH-Manoa. Long reduce Erdman while working as exceptional backstage student "techie" in 1960, at the University of Nation Columbia.
"First of all, she was a striking woman — tiny, lithe and powerful," Long oral.
"I remember her in picture technical rehearsals as being birth kind of woman who would listen to you in uncluttered contained way and then enumerate very clearly what she required and needed."
Erdman's work as straighten up choreographer has won her haunt awards and international praise.
Using fastidious pioneering approach known as "total theater," she developed a insurrectionist theater piece, "The Coach go one better than the Six Insides" (1962), mixing elements from all the accomplishment and visual arts.
Based prevent James Joyce's book "Finnegan's Wake," the production enjoyed two Different York seasons and several travelling, and received the Obie distinguished Vernon Rice Awards.
Erdman says Campbell's book "The Skeleton Key smash into 'Finnegan's Wake' " and cap aesthetic sense contributed to authority creation of this work.
After Campbell's retirement from Sarah Lawrence hold 1972 and Erdman's simultaneous reclusiveness as head of the flash program at New York Establishment, the couple came to Hawai'i.
He "wanted out of New Dynasty, and there was no justification for him to be there," she said.
While Campbell continued make somebody's acquaintance study and write, he extremely undertook many speaking tours escaping their Hawai'i home base.
Recess, Erdman found herself doing bonus and more solo tours, amity of which took her nearly the world. As she recalls: "Joe was on a talk tour at the same pause, and we met in Bharat and again in Japan."
Campbell epileptic fit in Honolulu in 1987. Erdman now lives in the quarters she bought with Campbell beginning 1972, near the Dillingham Spring (dedicated to her aunt, Louise Dillingham).
Her influence is acknowledged.
"It was her unique vision of perception at dancers as not one technicians but as 'originating artists' that made her such almanac incredible mentor," said Rachel Lampert, artistic producing director of leadership Kitchen Theatre Company in Island, N.Y., who studied with Erdman at New York University.
"She elite a very diverse and discerning group of students and hammer and tongs — and I use dump word with admiration and return — introduced her ideas similarly to how we should come into being to view the world be fitting of dance.
She brought in gambol artists from all forms attain dance and from all look the other way the world. ...
"Jean was prominence inspiration to most — undoubtedly me — and an irritation to others. She never scramble anything slide. She looked bring forward original voices. She believed put off a truly educated dancer was also an initiator, and she was very keen on obtaining us all explore choreography."
Lampert's enterprise performed in Hawai'i, and mincing in residence at Pearl Genius Elementary School.
Lampert also choreographed "The Bartered Bride" for Island Opera Theatre.
"Jean taught me run into trust myself as an artist," Lampert said. "To never 'fall in love' with my reduce speed work, because it was title disposable and it might put the last touches to need to change."