La Meri’s Writings

There is much evidence of La Meri’s lifelong commitment to writing, which seems to have been as central to her life as dance. Fortunately, her thoughts, feelings, and insights survive not only in her published poetry, articles, and books but also in the hundreds of notes and notebooks, dance descriptions, letters, and other materials in her archives. At an early age, La Meri began publishing her poetry, and, later, works about her own life experiences and about dance and its many manifestations. After some discussion of La Meri’s poetry and the books of poems that she published, this chapter focuses mostly on the six books that deal with dance. These books include her autobiography (a memoir of her professional life) and five works that provide information and discussion about dance as an art form: including Spanish dance, Indian dance, choreography, and “ethnic dance,” a term she claimed to have coined. In her dance writings she also sets forth her theoretical, aesthetic and pedagogical conceptions and ideas.

Performance and Choreography in New York and Beyond (1940–1956) and Jacob’s Pillow (1940s–1970s)

Chapter 7 begins with information about La Meri’s performances in New York City and on tours—as a soloist and with company members such as her sister Lilian Newcomer, Peter di Falco, Rebecca Harris, and others. The second section introduces what La Meri termed “ethnic ballets,” new works she choreographed (usually with a story line and characters) that incorporated the technique of one of the international dance languages she had studied. Since most audience members were unfamiliar with what they were viewing, explanations were a useful and appreciated addition. Lilian therefore gave introductions to each dance, and this became a regular feature of La Meri’s concerts. The third section covers her involvement in the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Life in Italy and Beyond, 1929–1936

In September 1929, La Meri and Carreras sailed to Europe. Before settling in Italy in November, they were briefly in Spain and in French Morocco. The chapter tells of La Meri’s dance training in both places, their meeting with the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, and other experiences. It also includes information about the European tours Carreras arranged for La Meri in 1930 and their marriage in 1931. In Italy, La Meri also began teaching and directing a group of student dancers. By the end of 1935, however, financial difficulties made it necessary to begin touring internationally again.

Introduction

As a historical context for La Meri’s work, this is a short discussion of Western cultural borrowings and fusions from the Renaissance to the 20th century. After considering the early developments, this chapter mentions Maud Allan and Loie Fuller—two early 20th century dance artists who presented themes from non-Western cultures in their performances—and the later creations of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, who also drew on international sources for their creative choreographies. It then briefly discusses how La Meri’s work gradually came to include the study and performance of authentic dances from various world cultures.

Final Words

This chapter begins with an overview of La Meri’s life and career and her contribution to the spread of knowledge about different cultures around the world, including world dance and culture. It then discusses her work in relation to modern concerns with theoretical issues—such as appropriation, cultural imposition, orientalism, and so forth—and relates it to concepts that have been investigated in gender and cultural studies. It is important to note that she performed non-Western and Western dances in both Western and non-Western locations. After La Meri settled in the United States, she performed her international repertoire to American audiences, most of whom would have known little or nothing about the foreign cultures where the dances originated. But it’s equally important to understand that both the briefness of La Meri’s actual training in the various dance forms and her minimal or non-existent knowledge of any of the local verbal languages would have limited her understanding of the foreign cultures whose dances she studied, performed, and taught—and about which she wrote.

A Reinvented Life in the United States as a Teacher, Innovator, and Woman, 1939–1956

This chapter begins with La Meri and Carreras settling into New York City, and the continuation of their professional work. It then focuses on La Meri’s schools and teaching—particularly her Ethnologic Dance Center, which existed from 1942 to 1956. The last section covers her relationships with the three important men in her life: Carreras, who left her in 1944; Charles James Miller, a student and then member of her company; and Peter di Falco, who also began as a student and member of her company. The personal relationship between La Meri and di Falco ran from 1946 to the late 1950s, and they taught, performed, and toured together.

Here and There in a World of Turmoil, October 1937 to October 1939

This chapter covers the return of La Meri and Carreras to the United States and their work in New York, including La Meri’s first totally “ethnic” dance concert. Then it discusses their next Latin American tour (February to August, 1938), some months in Italy, engagements in London, a United States tour (February to April, 1939), and their third and last Latin American tour. As World War II was beginning, they abruptly had to sail back to the United States. Of course, that disaster made it unfeasible to return to Italy, so they settled in New York—the best choice at the time.

New York, Cape Cod, San Antonio

This chapter tells of La Meri’s last years in New York City (1956-1960) and her next new beginning in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her sister Lilian Newcomer. There, she established a school, Ethnic Dance Arts, and an annual ethnic dance festival that presented artists from the United States and other countries. Gopal contacted La Meri sometime in 1958, asking her to join him in the performances he was giving in Trinidad, and she lists rehearsals and other meetings she had with him in June and August of that year. In her last years, she was cared for by William J. Adams, a former student and dancer. In 1984, she moved back to San Antonio with Adams and died there in 1988.

Australasia and Asia, 1936–1937

This chapter covers travel and performances in London (February-March, 1936); Australia and New Zealand (June-November, 1936); and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and Hawaii (December 1936-October 1937). La Meri’s frequent and multipage letters to Lilian during this time provide a wealth of detailed information about her performances and the dance training she sought and received in the various countries like the dances of India. The letters also detail the group’s travels from one place to another, their daily activities, the difficulties they sometimes encountered, and the people they met Also discussed is La Meri’s training and work with the Indian dancer Ram Gopal.

Early Professional Work and Touring, 1920s

La Meri’s professional dance work began in San Antonio in 1920 and then subsequently included performances in New York and on international tours. She started out in silent movie “prologues” and annual San Antonio celebrations and then went on to have roles in various theatrical works. She began using “La Meri” as her professional name in 1926. From that year until the 1940s, Guido Carreras, her agent and then husband, arranged bookings for her. These included engagements in Mexico in 1926, Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1927, and Central and South America from June 1928 to August 1929. Her early programs included works of ballet and interpretive dance.