In this article, I will speak about a subject I hold very dear—the 92nd Street Y. Besides the coincidence of its being my current place of employment, the Y has long been part of my life. I knew it both as a member of Don Redlich's company when we rehearsed there as the Y's resident dance company, and as an audience member thrilling to the likes of Pearl Lang in Kaufmann Concert Hall. It is my hope to enlighten you about the nature of this extraordinary institution, its importance in the development of modern dance, and Doris Humphrey's deep involvement in its history.
Why the Y? Or, to use the Passover phrase of inquiry, “Why is this Y different from all other Y's?” What were the convergences that would bring together a Jewish Community Center and the foremost practitioners of the developing modern dance? What benefit could the institution and the artists mutually realize? To unravel this complex fabric of relationships, it is useful to have as background a brief overview of the origins of the Y and the philosophy expressed by its founders.
On March 22, 1874, a group of German-Jewish businessmen and professionals signed a charter creating a new organization in New York City. The wording of that document is as follows: “We the undersigned, desiring to promote harmony and good fellowship among Hebrew young men and to unite them in an organization tending to improve their social, moral and mental condition, do form an association under the name and style of the ‘Young Men's Hebrew Association’” (1). Thus was born the first YMHA, with the express aim of serving the Jewish community, in particular the cultural and intellectual advancement of Jewish young men.