Los Angeles may not be thought of as a dance town, but it has a rich legacy. It was here, in 1915, that the modern dance pioneers Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn, established the Denishawn school and company, shaping and showcasing the first generation of American modern dancers, including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Lester Horton, one of the first choreographers to insist on a racially integrated company, established the Lester Horton Dance Theater here in 1946, a pioneering stage dedicated to modern dance. But for all the talent Los Angeles has attracted over the years, and its success in founding other performing arts institutions, the city has struggled to establish lasting dance companies able to attract and maintain audiences and patronage. It has also just entered an agreement with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, a larger theater, to perform there.

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Persons: Ruth St, Denis, Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Busby Berkeley, Hermes Pan, Jack Cole, George Balanchine, Lester Horton, Benjamin Millepied Organizations: Hollywood, Lester Horton Dance, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Wallis Annenberg Center, Performing Arts Locations: Angeles, Beverly Hills