La Meri and Her Life in Dance

La Meri (Russell Meriwether Hughes, 1899–1988) was a performing artist, choreographer, teacher, and writer who built her career on ethnologic dance from many parts of the world. In the 1920s and 1930s, under the management of her agent-husband Guido Carreras, she toured in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. Despite the heavy schedule of travel and performances, she was able to obtain instruction in local dance genres, purchase costumes, and obtain recordings of the music in many of the countries. The new material would then be added to her concert programs. In late 1939, touring was no longer possible because of World War II, so La Meri and Carreras settled in New York City. There, she established a school, the Ethnologic Dance Center, and dance companies. She continued performing in New York and on tour in the United States, and, in addition to teaching and concert work, created original choreographies using techniques such as those of India and Spain. In 1960, she moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she continued her work until 1984, when she returned to San Antonio. In addition to her practical work in dance, La Meri also published writings that set forth her conceptions, understandings, goals and methodologies. This book is both a biography of La Meri and an analysis of the significance of her theory and practice, with attention to her own performance, choreography, writings, and teaching.