I had the opportunity to work with Karoun Tootikian on historical reconstructions for performances of Isadora Duncan and Loie Fuller choreography. (1982-83)Here we are pictured as she showed me some tricky moves from Indian dance.
Karoun was extremely generous.
She worked with Ruth St. Denis from 1945-1965, heading the faculty and Oriental Department of Miss Ruth's Los Angeles school. She presented classes in St. Denis' dance techniques and various forms of Oriental dance. She performed with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn at Jacob's Pillow.
Sandy Broyard, who introduced me to modern dance while at Ballet Etudes Repertory Company (teaching us Shaker dances to Iron Butterfly's Innagaddadavida), took me to Jacob's Pillow, an airy, converted barn, theater, when I was young. here
What is most memorable from that occasion was that in the midst of trying to comprehend the historical importance of location, the DeniShawn legacy, and the performance, was that Sandy went into an absolutely uncontrollable fit of shaking giggles, which were contagious. It took awhile before she could gasp, "Bats" and pointed to them amidst the rafters and choreography.
Tootikian's dance studies included Adolph Bolm, Michio Ito, La Meri and Benjamin Zimoch and, she was a member of Lester Horton's first dance company. (While I was performing with Group Motion Multi-Media Dance Theater, a few members taught us Horton's signature falls and slides.)
Among other guest artists visiting the St. Denis School, while Karoun was there, were Charles Weidman, Mary Wigman, Harold Kreutzberg, Leon DestinŽ and Uday Skhankar.
Robert Hawkinson, Miss Ruth's pianist and musical arranger, was Tootikian's husband. I performed to his recordings of Chopin for the Isadora Duncan piece.
Karoun Tootikian died April 3,2000 at age 91.
photos: Ken Hamilton
