Biographical Note
Grace McCrea and her sister, Betty McCrea, performed as members of the Denishawn company during its inceptive years, dancing under the leadership of modern dance pioneers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Both performed across the United States in Denishawn's vaudeville and concert tours from 1916-1919, and Betty accompanied the company on a South American tour around 1919. Notable appearances included roles in Denishawn repertory such as the Dance Pageant of Egypt, Greece and India and Julnar of the Sea. The sisters also performed in dance events sponsored by other artists and arts entrepreneurs.
Few details of Grace McCrea's personal life have survived. In November 1899, she was born in Pittsburgh to Robert A. and Martha E. McCrea. She had two older sisters, Esther Elizabeth ("Betty," born June 26, 1897) and Sylvia. Her mother, born in Switzerland, had immigrated to the United States in 1881. By the time of the 1910 U.S. census, her father had died, and her mother provided for the household by working as a hairdresser and taking in boarders. Martha McCrea relocated to New York City with her daughters and married Harry Weaver in 1916. Few other family records have been discovered.
The Denishawn School and Dance Company was established and directed by dancers Ruth St. Denis (1979-1968) and Ted Shawn (1891-1972). Initially a school founded in 1915 in Los Angeles, it spread to New York in the 1920s where it ultimately disbanded in 1931. Throughout this time, the company toured across the United States as well as internationally in Asia, South America, and England. The company included several dancers and associates who were later to become well-known artists: for example, Louise Brooks, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman. Composer, conductor, and musician Louis Horst also contributed. The wide range of the Denishawn repertory reflected the varied dance styles and aesthetics of its two leaders. St. Denis created Oriental-theme works such as Spirit of the Sea, Radha, and Incense; Shawn also created dances under this umbrella, but also experimented with vaudeville entertainments celebrating Spanish-influenced dance styles or sometimes employed Christian themes. (The two also collaborated on several works such as The Garden of Kama.) Initially formed as a vaudeville touring company, St. Denis and Shawn attempted to move it toward concert dance venues. However, the company was always plagued by lack of funds. Beyond its national tours, Denishawn spent fifteen months touring in East Asia from 1925 to 1926, where the company continued to produce Orient-inspired dances. On return to New York, Denishawn lost several key dancers by 1928 and the marital separation of its founders also jeopardized the company's survival. In 1931 the company was disbanded, with both St. Denis and Shawn going their separate ways and initiating new careers for themselves.