May O'Donnell
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May O'Donnell (1909 - February 1, 2004) was an American modern dancer and choreographer.
Born in Sacramento, California, May O'Donnell studied dance in San Francisco with Estelle Reed and performed in Reed's company before moving to New York City to study with Martha Graham. O'Donnell was a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1932 until 1938.
In 1939, she returned to California and, with her husband, the composer Ray Green, and another former Graham dancer, Gertrude Shurr, founded the San Francisco Dance Theater. In 1941, O'Donnell joined the José Limón Dance Company where she remained for three years. She worked with the Graham Company again from 1944 to 1952 as a guest artist, at which time she created several roles notably the Pioneering Woman in "Appalachian Spring" and Chorus in" Cave of the Heart". She formed her own company, the May O'Donnell Dance Company, in 1949.
O'Donnell retired from performing in 1961, but continued to choreograph through 1988. Throughout her career O'Donnell created some 50 dances. She was also an important teacher who counted Robert Joffrey, Ben Vereen, and Gerald Arpino among her students.
O'Donnell died in Manhattan at the age 97 in 2004. In 2005, her biography, May O'Donnell: Modern Dance Pioneer, was published by Marian Horosko.
[edit] References
- Chujoy, Anatole. The Dance Encyclopedia. (Simon and Schuster, 1967) ISBN 0-671-24027-7
- McDonagh, Don The Complete Guide to Modern Dance.( Doubleday and Company, 1976) ISBN 0-385-05055-0
- The New York Times, February 7, 2004
