- For the 18th century French general, see Jean Erdman, Baron Dieskau.
Jean Erdman (born February 20, 1916) is an influential figure in the world of modern dance and was the wife of Joseph Campbell until his death in 1987.
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Background
She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended the Punahou School and Miss Hall's School, from which she graduated in 1934. She then studied dance at Sarah Lawrence College. Each summer during this time she studied under Martha Graham at the Bennington College Summer School of Dance. At Sarah Lawrence she also studied with mythologist Joseph Campbell. They were married in 1938, and she left school to join the Martha Graham Dance Company. After Campbell retired from Sarah Lawrence in 1972, he and Erdman settled in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Career
Encouraged by Campbell to develop her work, Erdman left Martha Graham in 1944 to form her own company, the Jean Erdman Dance Group. In 1949, Erdman starred in the unfinished Maya Deren film Medusa (1949) [1]. During the course of her career, many contemporary composers (including John Cage and Alan Hovhaness) wrote dance scores for her. She also collaborated with other important American composers, including Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison. Erdman taught at a number of colleges, finally becoming head of the modern dance division of Teachers' College, Columbia University. She founded New York University's dance program and taught there from 1966-1972.
The Coach with the Six Insides
In 1962, Erdman's award-winning musical play, The Coach with the Six Insides, opened Off-Broadway. It ran for 114 performances, closing in 1963 [2]. The play is based upon James Joyce's last novel Finnegans Wake. The title is a line from the text, found in episode II.3.359 [3]. It starred Leonard Frey and had a musical score by Teiji Ito. The play, "is a combination of dance, mime, and Joycean stream-of-consciousness language. Like Joyce's work itself it addresses the question 'what is the past, and what is its meaning?' " [4].
Documentary
- Dance and Myth - The World of Jean Erdman: Part 1. The Early Dances
- Dance and Myth - The World of Jean Erdman: Part 2. The Group Dances
- Dance and Myth - The World of Jean Erdman: Part 3. The Later Solos
Awards
Winner:
- 1972: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography - The Two Gentlemen of Verona [5]
- 1962-1963: Obie Award - Special Citations, Jean Erdman - The Coach with the Six Insides [6]
- Vernon Rice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Off-Broadway Theatre - The Coach with the Six Insides
Nominated:
- 1972: Tony Award for Best Choreography - The Two Gentlemen of Verona [7]
References
- The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work. Edited and with an Introduction by Phil Cousineau. Forward by Stuart L. Brown, Executive Editor. New York: Harper and Row, 1990. ISBN 9781577314042
- Larsen, Stephen and Robin Larsen. Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions, 2002. ISBN 9780892818730
External links
- Jean Erdman Papers, 1925-2001 - The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Modern Innovator Erdman Honored
- The Grande dame of dance
- Dance: A Survey of Jean Erdman Choreography Since '42 - New York Times
- Dance: Jean Erdman's Works at the Open Eye - New York Times
- Sarah Lawrence College Alumni Magazine
- Jean Erdman at the Internet Movie Database
- Jean Erdman at the Internet Broadway Database
