The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1950-04-15
From Middletown to Seattle

ton College for a Minnesota ,WlilCeI
and finally to Seattle, in l943, as
dance instructor at the Cornish
School. In 1914 she opened her stu
dio at 908 East Madison St Since
hen. Miss King has danced, lee
tured. demonstrated and taught from
Rhode Island to California and
from Louisiana to British Columbia,
Her studio. a former laundry-dry-
inc room for Boeing workers during
the war. now blazes with colors.
But. except for the paintings in her
office-living room and the simple
drapery. her studio-home is sparcely
furnished. A purist, she, decorations
are reduced to a minimum, as in her
dances.
Three mornings a week, Miss King
is up about $50; has a nice big
breakfast with Zoe and Chloe, her
cats; then teaches a class. On morn
ings without a class, she is up an
hour or two later, depending on how
late rehearsals were the night before,
Often on these mornings she lies in
bed reading feeling conscious that
her greed for reading is taking pre-
cious time. Yet, if she does not take
the time. she feels like she is dry
ing up.
In the afternoons she crowds
in her own rehearsals; classes; and
her daily walks, even in the rain.
Three evenings a week she has
$50 classes for her grOtip, followed
by three hours of rehearSing. Dur
ing the repertOry season, Sundays
become just another week day.
Miss King loves to draw and sket-
ch. sad that she has not enough time
to do more. She likes to sew, particu-
larly working on dance costumes
She loves books on all sorts and en-
courages her group and students to
borrow from her library. She cannot
keep away from music. While move
ment is sufficient language in mod
ern dance, she likes music too well tC
do without it entirely.
In 1948 she was honored by the
Seattle chapter of Theta Sigma PHI
with their Matrix Award for womer
of outstanding achievement.
Miss King has long said that i'm
portant centers for dance can anc
should be developed locally. Anc
that local products can be developed
and kept by offering the right loca
opportunities.
TOO many take a crack at New
York's rat race and get nowhere"
she says. "The dancers there are
sophisticated. They sample every
bOdy's ideas, know many types of
dances, aim for the commercial
theatre and are generally frustra-
ted There are more dancers
than opportunity and l would nevel
! advise people (dancers) to go t.
New York"
In line with her views on decentra-
lization and her attitude on the un-
limited scope of dance, she began the
"One World in Dance" series in Sc
attic Q947. 1t was to provide a CO.
operative opportunity for Pacific
Northwest dancers to appear before
weekly audiences and to present the
rich and varied resources" of this
f, region After two successful seasons
her idea was expanded into the
Friends OF Dance organization which
carries on now
Although lacking funds, Miss King
is bursting with Impotence" tC
film her repertory and her dance
techniques Through visual aid she
hopes to provide a development OF
audience-awareness of what modern
dance is all about. The film then
can pioneer the West where she and
her group cannot go.
"The function of modern dance"
she says, sis to integrate the spirit
and the body to translate our
experience of today's world into
the communicative patterns of art"
Even while casually stroking zoe's
milk-white back, her hand and fin
gers dance with form and movement
communicating her ideas and emo-
ttons Of that experience
4 t... =F.-.s r - +rae