Lester Horton

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Lester Horton (23 January 1906 – 2 November 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and instructor.

Early years and education

Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on January 23. 1906. Iradell and Pollyanna Horton were his parents.

Since attending tribal dances in a Wild West exhibition, his interest in dancing was mainly fueled by his fascination with American Indian history. He studied the Iroquois and Red River Indians, as well as Penobscot and Ojibwa tribes.

He studied ballet for two years with a local teacher in Indianapolis, Theo Hewes. He took classes at the Herron Art Institute and worked with the Indianapolis Little Theater at the time.

He had a huge effect on him after seeing a Denishawn company's performance.

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Career

In 1929, Horton performed The Song of Hiawatha, a dance-pageant by Clara Bates based on Longfellow's poem, at the Argus Bowl, a natural amphitheater in Eagle Rock, and he performed it in California.

He worked for Kathleen Stubergh, sculptress Kathleen Stubergh, with whom he remained close for his lifetime. On the window mannequins, they made wax figures and Horton painted faces.

Rather than New York City, which was considered the center of modern dance at the time, he chose California.

Horton performed his first solo concert choreography, Kootenai War Dance, in 1931. He was invited to appear in this dance as well as a new choreography Voodo Ceremonial at the Los Angeles Olympics that year. His success earned him an invitation to appear at the Paramount Theatre on the same bill as Judy Garland and the Garland sisters for a two-week run. Lester Horton founded the Lester Horton Dancers in 1932. The Lester Horton California Ballets (1934) and later the Horton Dance Group (1934). The Horton Dance Company, which was described in films as the Lester Horton Dancers, did not exist until early 1944. Later, Horton began to operate on the East Coast for dancer Sonia Shaw, but Shaw's husband refused to finance the venture, and the company died before it could give public performances. Horton founded the Dance Theater of Los Angeles with his long-serving dancer Bella Lewitzky, but their collaboration came to an end in 1950 when Lewitzky was forced to leave. Horton's last company existed until 1960, under Frank Eng's direction.

Horton choreographed a number of Hollywood musicals, beginning with Moonlight in Havana (1942). Many of the films, including the Maria Montez vehicle White Savage (1943), were Universal productions that were unable to match MGM or Fox's budgetary extravagance, although many were in Technicolor; the most notable was Arthur Lubin's Phantom of the Opera (1943). Horton's dancers also performed at clubs, including the Follies Bergère in New York and the Earl Carroll Theatre and Restaurant in Los Angeles. Salome (which occupied Horton for nearly two decades) and The Beloved are two of Horton's most popular works, which he described as "choreodramas."

During the last year of Horton's life, the dance Theater made only one appearance in New York. On East Ninety-second street in New York City, the troupe was supposed to appear at the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association's reputation-building theater. On arrival, the troupe discovered that the venue did not have publicity, and the show was mostly unknown and not well attended. About 300 people attended the Saturday night show, but just around 200 were sold for the Sunday matinee. The company received a total of 100 dollars. All but one of the studies were positive. One magazine lauded the "superb dancers" but complained that "one technological and impactful stunt follows another, with no sustained choreographic continuity." There was not enough funds to return home from New York, and Horton was concerned about the company's financial capabilities to support Jacob's Pillow later this summer. Horton's agent wired the troupe to return the performance. Horton was heavily drinking and physically ill at the time, and was both mentally and physically ill. On his return to Los Angeles, he rented a house on Mulholland Drive, where he was welcomed by his parents and friends.

The group travelled by car to the Berkshires in order to perform at the Jacob's Pillow festival. The performance was a hit, but Horton was unable to bring the troupe to the festival. The troupe was asked to open for Johnny Desmond in the fall, and they were so popular that they were allowed to return for another two weeks.

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