RESOLUTION HONORING RUTH PAGE
WHEREAS, Ruth Page was a legendary dancer, choreographer and patron who made enormous cultural contributions in Chicago and throughout the world. Her visionary work influenced the growth of theater design, opera ballet, and dance and she achieved worldwide recognition as a true pioneer of dance in America; and
WHEREAS, The City Council has been informed about the exceptional achievements of this woman by the Honorable Brian Hopkins, Alderman of the 2nd Ward; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Page was born on March 22, 1899, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She became a dancer at a young age. In 1917, she attracted the attention of Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, and her first professional curtain opened when Pavlova invited her to dance on Pavlova's final South American tour in 1918-19; and
WHEREAS, Ruth later moved to Chicago, Illinois where she studied with the renowned Adolph Bolm. He choreographed The Birthday of the Infanta for her at the Auditorium Theater in 1919. From 1922 to 1924, she starred in Irving Berlin's Music Box Revue, first on Broadway and then in the touring company; and
WHEREAS, as her life in the art of dance unfolded, she established a record of being first by creating at the forefront of social, political, and artistic issues. She was the first American to dance with Diaghilev's Ballet Russe in 1925. In that spring, she was the first American to commission George Balanchine, another newcomer to the Ballets Russe, to created several ballets for her, Etude and Polka Melancholique; and
WHEREAS, from 1926 through 1928, she became Ballet Director of the Ravinia Opera, danced with Chicago Allied Arts for Marie-Queen of Romania, and was the first American guest ballet soloist with the Metropolitan Opera. Also, Ruth Page was the international ballerina invited to perform in honor of the coronation ceremonies of Emperor Hirohito in Tokyo, Japan. During this time, the great composers Prokofiev, Gershwin, and Stravinsky played for Ruth's rehe...
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