Lester Horton: A Brief Biography

                Lester Horton was born on January 23^rd, 1906 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  His parents’ names were Iradell and Pollyanna Horton.  His initial interest in dance stemmed from his fascination with Native American tribal dances, which he viewed on a Wild West show.  This led to him studying, in specific, the Iroquois, Red River Indians, Penobscot and Ojibway tribes.  In 1929, he traveled to Eagle Rock, Californian to perform The Song of Hiawatha.  He worked with Stuberghs, a wax model company, and he painted faces on the models.  He started his own dance company in Los Angeles, California; the Lester Horton Dancers.  During his life, he was with William Bowne, who left him to marry a former member of Horton’s company.  He then met Frank Eng, who he was with until his death on November 2^nd, 1953.