Doris Humphrey: An Artist First Autobiography by Doris Humphrey, Edited and Completed by Selma Jeanne Cohen After completing the manuscript for The Art of Making Dances Humphrey began writing her autobiography, which constitutes the first part of this book. Sadly, she did not live to complete it but was able to write about her early years growing up in a theatrical hotel in Chicago, supporting her parents as a dance teacher at the age of 18, becoming principal dancer and teacher at Denishawn, and the fateful meeting where she was voted out of Denishawn. It was up to dance historian, Selma Jeanne Cohen, to complete the story with the founding of the Humphrey Weidman Company, her marriage to ship’s officer Charles Woodford and the birth of their son, the hectic, formative years of modern dance, her long association with Josė Limón, retirement as a performer, and final illness. Carefully researched by Selma Jeanne Cohen. Includes excerpts from letters and a Chronology of dance compositions.
For more books by Doris Humphrey, please see Choreography/Production. For videos of Doris Humphrey, her performances and works, please see DVD/Video: Modern Documentary and DVD/Video: Modern Performance sections.