During the early 1900s there was a lot going on in the world. There were wars, technological innovations, and entertainment and the arts. Lester Horton lived from 1906 until 1953. During those times, there were many things that happened that could have inspired him, changed his views and/or influenced his ways of thinking.
The 1920s...
The 1920s...
-The growth and the general acceptance of the Ku Klux Klan.
-The Scopes Trial, which found John T. Scopes guilty of teaching evolution in schools and caused tension about evolution versus creationism.
-World War I had come to an end (post WWI era)
-The Soviet Union is created in 1922.
-October 29th, 1929 referred to as "Black Tuesday" the stock market has its worst crash in American History and is the leading cause of the Great Depression.
-John Logie Baird invents the first television in 1925 and later in 1928 the first color television.
-The 1920s for music was referred to as the "Jazz Age" because at the time jazz was huge, as well as jazz influenced dance music.
-The surrealist movement for artists begins, which features artwork and writings that incorporate surprise, juxtapositions and non-sequitur (conversational pieces, characteristics).
-The Art Deco movement begins, in which linear symmetry was a major change over from the curves and asymmetrical shapes in everything from architecture to jewelry. Art Deco's basis was purely decorative.
In the 1920s, Lester Horton was just making his way into the dance world. He was seeing dance like the Denishawn Dancers and getting his first dancing jobs. I have no doubt in my mind that the growing KKK played a part in his life. Though there probably was little to no interaction with them in his life, Lester Horton was very interested in cultural and ethnic matters, especially ones of injustice and racism. He was open to giving African-Americans chances where they were usually excluded, such as Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade and James Truitte. Also, jazz music was on the come up. I am sure that Lester was inspired through this music in some kind of way, whether it would have been through dancing for another choreographer or coming up with his own early ideas for choreography, or possibly taking into consideration doing a collaboration with a musician in his future. Lester was always interested in various art forms, so I believe that the emergence of different art movements would've been something very influential to him.
The 1930s...
-World War II begins on September 1st, 1939.
-Hitler and fascist Germany begin their rise to power in 1933.
-Dust Bowl spreads across the United States caused by massive drought, dust and sand storms, and barren fields and crops.
-The Great Depression takes its affects throughout the United States.
-Prohibition in the United States is enacted in 1920 and is finally repealed in 1933 due to the ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment.
-Color movies/Technicolor movies are becoming increasingly popular by Warner Bros.
-Kodachrome, the first color film, is produced by Kodak in 1936.
-Radio becomes the mass media method.
In the 1930s, The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression were affecting everyone in the Nation. I’m sure that this had some type of impact on Lester Horton and his dancers in terms of finances and travel. Also, the Nazis were on the rise in Germany. With Horton’s sense to the plight of all nationalities, I’m sure he had a sense of empathy for them. Also, advancements in media, such as tv, film and radio were on the rise. This made it easier to see what was going on around the world and draw inspiration from nation and world-wide matters.
The 1940s...
-United States becomes involved in WWII after Pearl Harbor in attacked and faces the Empire of Japan in the Pacific War.
-The Holocaust kills between 11-17 million people.
-Hiroshima and Nagasaki occur as US attacks Japan in retaliation. (August 6th and August 9th, 1945)
-Commercial television is developed.
WWII was coming to an end, but it was ending in many deaths around the world. The Holocaust had killed millions of people, Hiroshima and Nagasaki had killed thousands in Japan, Lester would likely have been empathetic to the plight of these people as well.
All of these are great examples of events that effected the nation, as well as the world. Do you know if Horton was directly influenced by any of these or if any of his choreography was directly based off of any of these world events? Or did any of the technological advancements help Horton and his choreography? I know it's difficult to find information on him. It's a shame that there isn't more information available about him and his life, especially more video of him.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tina. I cannot say that I have read anything that said that Horton was directly affeted by any of these events in particular, but I am sure that they did in some way or another. Some of these were REALLY big events, both in the US and around the world. I can't imagine someone of Horton's character not being affected, whether directly or indirectly, in some way.
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