Erdman, Jean (1917–)

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Erdman, Jean (1917–)

American dancer and choreographer. Name variations: Jean Campbell. Born Feb 20, 1917, in Honolulu, Hawaii; trained with Martha Graham and at Sarah Lawrence College; m. Joseph Campbell (writer and mythologist), 1938 (died Oct 31, 1987).

Danced with Graham company (1938–43), where she created roles in American Document (1938), Every Soul Is a Circus (1959), and Punch and Judy (1941); performed role of "One Who Speaks" in Graham's Letter to the World to great acclaim; continued to appear with Graham company as guest dancer for many years; began choreographing own concert works (c. 1940), and staged numerous dance excerpts for theater. Works of choreography include Departure (1941), Ophelia (1946), Les Mouches (1948), The Blessed Damozel (1952), The Coach with Six Insides (1962), Hamlet (1964), Encounter in the Grove (1967), Venerable as an Island is Paradise (1969), Gaugin in Tahiti (1976) and The Shining Hour (1980).

See also (video) Dance and Myth: The World of Jean Erdman (1990).