Summary
Lodena Edgecumbe (April 1906 – 1978) was an American dancer and dance educator based in Vallejo, California.
Lodena Edgecumbe | |
|---|---|
 Lodena Edgecumbe, photographed by Harry A. Atwell in 1920s. | |
| Born | April 1906 |
| Died | 1978 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Lodena Edgecombe, Lodena Edgcumbe, Lodena Armbrust (after marriage) |
| Occupation | dancer |
Early life edit
Lodena Francisca Edgecumbe was adopted by Alfred E. Edgecumbe[1] and Sara F. Edgecumbe[2] of Vallejo, California, after she was discovered on a ferry, a newborn infant survivor of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or subsequent fires.[3] Her birth parents were presumed dead but never identified.[4] She attended St. Vincent's Convent school in Vallejo, with further dance training in San Francisco.[5]
Career edit
As a little girl, Edgecumbe danced at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. She joined the Pavley-Oukrainsky dance troupe as a young woman, and toured with them in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. She danced in productions of the Chicago Opera Company and the Manhattan Opera Company.[6] Later she danced on vaudeville.[7]
When her children were young, Edgecumbe opened a dance studio in Vallejo in 1933,[8] and taught generations of dance students there.[9] She led a troupe of young women dancers, the Lodena Adorables, inspired by Isadora Duncan's Isadorables group.[10] She also conducted the Dancing Masters of California, a continuing education program for dance educators, and served on the Cultural Affairs Committee of Vallejo.[11]
Personal life edit
Lodena Edgecumbe married Richard Armbrust. They had children, Richard and Lodena Joy. Lodena Edgecumbe Armbrust died in 1978. In 2006, to mark the centennial of her birth, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum had an exhibit about Edgecumbe's life and work.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Retired Official in Vallejo Dies". San Francisco Examiner. September 18, 1941. p. 19. Retrieved April 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wife of City Clerk of Vallejo Dies". Oakland Tribune. May 10, 1935. p. 5. Retrieved April 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rohrs, Sarah (April 18, 2009). "Vallejo Helped Out S. F. After Historic Quake". Times-Herald. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ Rohrs, Sarah (April 9, 2019). "History Made Real for Vacaville Students at Vallejo Museum". The Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ a b Kern, James (May 11, 2006). "Lodena Edgecumbe". Historical Articles of Solano County Online Database. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Vallejo Kin to Fete Dancer". Oakland Tribune. December 19, 1926. p. 70. Retrieved April 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vaudeville for Murray". The Richmond Item. November 13, 1927. p. 16. Retrieved April 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Freedman, Richard (2014-07-10). "Free dance showcase honors Duncan at museum". The Reporter. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ Kern, James E. (2004). Vallejo. Arcadia Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 9780738529097.
- ^ "Untitled news item". The Capital Journal. September 5, 1936. p. 5. Retrieved April 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Looking Down". Vallejo Times Herald. February 13, 1978. p. 7. Retrieved April 9, 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
External links edit
- A 1920s photograph of Lodena Edgecumbe doing a "nautch" dance, by Harry A. Atwell; in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division Photograph Files, New York Public Library Digital Collections.