Dudley, Jane (1912–2001)
Dudley, Jane (1912–2001)
American modern dancer and choreographer. Born April 3, 1912, in New York, NY; died Sept 19, 2001, in London, England; attended University of North Carolina; studied dance in NY with Hanya Holm; m. Leo Hurwitz (filmmaker, div.); children: Tom Hurwitz.
Danced as permanent member of Martha Graham company (1937–44); created numerous roles for Graham's works, including "Ancestress" in Letter to the World (1940) and "Sister" in Deaths and Entrances (1943); collaborated with New Dance League in New York City where she created such works as The Dream Ends (1934), Songs of Protest (1937), Harmonica Breakdown (1938) and Cult of Blood (1938); performed in trio troupe with Sophie Maslow and William Bales until her retirement from performance career (1944); choreographed numerous works for the trio and also for New Dance Group; taught Graham technique at Graham school in NY, for New Dance Group, for Bat-sheva Dance Company in Israel, and at school of London Contemporary Dance Theater. Works of choreography include In the Life of a Worker (19334), My Body, My Carcass (1937), The Ballad of Molly Pitcher (1940), Dissonance (1941), The Lonely Ones (1946), Family Portrait (1953) and Five Characters and Conclusion (1979).