Jane Sherman
Encyclopedia
Jane Sherman was an American
writer
, performer, composer
, and one-time dancer and member of the Rockettes
the famed in-house dance troupe of Radio City Music Hall
. She was a former member and authority
of Denishawn
, the eclectic company
, founded by Ruth St. Denis
and Ted Shawn
in 1915. She performed with companies ranging from modern-dance groups to the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.
on June 14, 1908 to Horace Humphrey Sherman, an advertising writer, and Florentine St. Clair, an opera singer. The family moved to New York City
in 1921, where Jane began studying dancing, after she saw a St. Denis program that included “Brahms Waltz and Liebesträume
”, a solo
that inspired her to study at the New York Denishawn School.
and toured with the troupe, and later returned to modern dance
as a member of the Humphrey-Weidman Company in 1928. She also appeared in Broadway revues and was a Rockette in 1934 and 1935.
editor
at Seventeen
magazine in the 1940s.
science teacher who was also a composer and lyricist
for revues, contributing material to 14 shows from 1930 to 1942. In the 1990s they moved together to the Lillian Booth Actors Home
, run by the Actors Fund, where he died in 1999, aged 99.
In 2003, Jane began publishing poems, gathering them into little books, some of which commented on aging. In a poem from her self-published book “Songs of Senescence”.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, performer, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and one-time dancer and member of the Rockettes
The Rockettes
The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
the famed in-house dance troupe of Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
. She was a former member and authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
of Denishawn
Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts
The Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles, California, helped many perfect their dancing talents. Some of the school's more notable pupils include Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Jack Cole, and silent film star...
, the eclectic company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
, founded by Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis was an early modern dance pioneer.-Biography:Ruth St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program in 1938 which was one of the first dance departments in an American university...
and Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
in 1915. She performed with companies ranging from modern-dance groups to the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.
Early life
Sherman was born in Beloit, WisconsinBeloit, Wisconsin
Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, Beloit had a population of 36,966. The greater Beloit area is home to more than 91,000 residents.-Claim to fame:...
on June 14, 1908 to Horace Humphrey Sherman, an advertising writer, and Florentine St. Clair, an opera singer. The family moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1921, where Jane began studying dancing, after she saw a St. Denis program that included “Brahms Waltz and Liebesträume
Liebesträume
Liebesträume , is a set of three solo piano works by Franz Liszt, published in 1850. Liszt called each of the three pieces Liebesträume, but often they are referred to incorrectly in the singular as Liebestraum...
”, a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
that inspired her to study at the New York Denishawn School.
Dancing
From 1927 to 1928, she joined the Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
and toured with the troupe, and later returned to modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
as a member of the Humphrey-Weidman Company in 1928. She also appeared in Broadway revues and was a Rockette in 1934 and 1935.
Editing
After her dance career ended, she became a fictionFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
at Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
magazine in the 1940s.
Personal life
In 1940, Jane Sherman married Ned Lehac, a high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
science teacher who was also a composer and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
for revues, contributing material to 14 shows from 1930 to 1942. In the 1990s they moved together to the Lillian Booth Actors Home
Lillian Booth Actors Home
The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund is an assisted living facility in Englewood, New Jersey operated by the Actors Fund. The facility was the subject of the 2000 film Curtain Call. The facility was established in 1928 at the former mansion of Hetty Green.-History:On May 8, 1902, the...
, run by the Actors Fund, where he died in 1999, aged 99.
In 2003, Jane began publishing poems, gathering them into little books, some of which commented on aging. In a poem from her self-published book “Songs of Senescence”.