With spirit in mind: Reflections on the spiritual choreography of Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham

This Project Demonstrating Excellence (Dissertation) is in two parts: Part One, a three-act play entitled Embodied Spirits of the Dance provides a framework for the ideas, philosophies and experiences of three legendary dancers and choreographers: Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham with an emphasis on the spiritual components of their work in dance. Part One is meant to be read as an introduction to the contextual essay which follows the play in Part Two. Part One, or Embodied Spirits of the Dance, is an imagined dialogue between each of the three artists and an interviewer and is written in play form utilizing the actual words of these three artists taken from lectures, diaries, and historical publications. Embodied Spirits of the Dance provides a background into the inner worlds of these three artists examining their beliefs about the dance, and addresses the Divine aspects of their choreographic works.;Part Two of the Project Demonstrating Excellence is a critical analysis of these three artists' choreographic works to the Virgin Mary. This essay of the Project Demonstrating Excellence offers insights into the choreographic works that they created in honor of the Virgin Mary and provides an answer to the research question: How did the influences of the Divine impact the choreographic works to the Virgin Mary of Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham. This essay analyzes the specific works to the Virgin Mary including Isadora Duncan's Ave Maria, Ruth St. Denis's various Madonna studies, and Martha Graham's early choreography in which she danced the role of the Madonna. Included and discussed in this essay are dance reviews, philosophical insights by each artist, as well as their thoughts on the creative and Divine processes of dance. The contextual essay also includes the role of metaphysics, theatrical advancements in lighting and color, as well as references to the iconography of the Virgin Mary.