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Ernestine Myers

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Ernestine Myers
A young white woman with dark hair, seated, wearing a hat with a wide trim and a white gown
Ernestine Myers
Born(1900-01-07)January 7, 1900
Terre Haute, Indiana
DiedJune 29, 1991(1991-06-29) (aged 91)
Terre Haute, Indiana
Other namesErnestine Myers Morrissey
Occupation(s)Dancer, vaudeville performer, dance educator
ParentAl Myers

Ernestine Myers Morrissey (January 7, 1900 – June 29, 1991), sometimes credited as Ernestine Meyers, was an American dancer, Ziegfeld girl, and dance educator.

Early life

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Myers was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, the daughter of professional baseball player Al Myers and Flora LaTart Myers. She trained as a dancer at the Chicago Musical College, then pursued further dance studies with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles.[1]

Ernestine Myers - Jan 1920 Shadowland

Career

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Myers appeared on Broadway and on vaudeville stages.[2][3] She toured with Ruth St. Denis's dance company, which also featured Martha Graham, Florence O'Denishawn, and Doris Humphrey at the time. In 1917 she toured in a singing and dancing act with Carl Randall,[4][5] including "a pseudo Egyptian fox trot in costume with just enough burlesque in it to give it pep," noted reviewer Giles P. Cain.[6] She wore a purple wig while performing in 1921, creating a "weirdly beautiful" effect, according to Billboard magazine.[7] Her credits included roles in the shows Sinbad (1918), Follow the Girl (1918),[8] Silks and Satins (1920),[9] and Ziegfeld Follies. "Miss Myers is a splendid dancer, and works hard to put her selections over," commented one reviewer in 1921.[2]

From 1923 to 1978, Myers ran a dance school in her hometown.[1][10] She produced, choreographed, and designed costumes and lighting for the school's biennial revue,[11][12][13] which included over two hundred performers in some years.[14] Elise Reiman, a teacher at the School of American Ballet, was one of Myers' many students.[15][16] In 1976, her photo was part of a Bicentennial salute to American theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.[17] In 1980 she gave an oral history interview for the Vigo County Oral History Project.[18]

Personal life

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Myers married Chicago businessman Daniel E. Morrissey in 1948.[19] Her husband died in 1949,[20] and she died in 1991, in Terre Haute, aged 91 years.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sarkar, Dipa (June 5, 2011). "Historical Treasure: An outstanding woman of the American stage". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  2. ^ a b "Ernestine Myers in Vaudeville". Dramatic Mirror and Theatre World. 33: 773. May 7, 1921.
  3. ^ "Good Bill at 81st Street; Eddie Ross and Ernestine Myers are Features". Dramatic Mirror and Theatre World. 83: 772. May 7, 1921.
  4. ^ "Orpheum". Pacific Coast Musical Review. 32 (13): 6. June 30, 1917.
  5. ^ Nunan, Thomas (1917-07-02). "Fox-Trot Tickles Audience; Ernestine Myers Does It". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Cain, Giles P. (September 8, 1917). "Little Stories of Plays and Players". The Independent. 38 (4): 3.
  7. ^ Paul, Marcie (November 19, 1921). "The Missing Rib". Billboard. Vol. 33, no. 47. p. 22 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ Dietz, Dan (2021-06-15). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 419. ISBN 978-1-5381-5028-3.
  9. ^ Hornblow (September 1920). "Mr. Hornblow Goes to the Play". Theatre Magazine. 32: 105.
  10. ^ Roznowski, Tom (2009-11-17). An American Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana, 1927. Indiana University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-253-00503-8.
  11. ^ "Ernestine Myers Revue to be Presented June 2". The Terre Haute Star. 1966-05-13. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Slover, Euleta (1962-08-22). "Ernestine Myers Morrissey to be Honored by Pupils". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Ernestine Myers Dance Recital Well Received". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1968-06-12. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Perry, Marian (1954-05-30). "Two Hundred and Fifty Dancers Appear in Ernestine Myers Revue". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Nattkemper, Jane (1965-09-26). "Dancing Lessons are Fun to Girls Studying Ballet". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 42. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Elise Reiman, Teacher Of Ballet, Dies at 79". The New York Times. 1993-08-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  17. ^ "Ernestine Myers Photo Showing at JFK Center". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1976-03-16. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b "Interview with Ernestine Myers Morrissey". Vigo County Public Library. 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  19. ^ "Ernestine Myers Becomes Bride of Daniel E. Morrissey of Chicago". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1948-08-31. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Morrissey Burial in Chicago Today". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1949-10-29. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
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