Yvonne Cootz

Korean Shaman

Yvonne Cootz Memorial

Yvonne Cootz and her passion for dance was expressed through teaching, performing, researching and editing. Although most of her activities were in Los Angeles, she embodied CCDR's vision as a dance resource.

She was accepted as a graduate student in the UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) Department of Dance in 1975, and completed her master's thesis two years later, under the direction of Thesis Committee Chair, Professor Elsie Dunin.. Yvonne's Lebanese-American family background and her love for dance and costume were brought together into a thesis "Dance and dress as a reflector of cultural change among the Christian Lebanese in Los Angeles." Prior to UCLA studies, Yvonne had completed a B.A. degree in Art and Education, and was continually involved with ballet. Her UCLA graduate studies expanded her perception of dance and dancing, so that in later years she became involved with European and North American historical forms both in research and performance, early U.S. ballroom dance, and used her educational background in teaching dance movement to young children, and dance movement for senior citizens. Her lectures were usually enhanced by her artistic eye with multi-media resulting in interesting and informative presentations.

As a teacher, Yvonne was with the dance faculty of Santa Monica College from 1977 to 1993, teaching ballet, dance history, ballroom dance, costume for dance and teaching Dancersize in the Emeritus Division. She brought together much of her ballroom dance knowledge for a UCLA CED (Council on Educational Development) course, 1992 teaching "Roots of American ballroom dance (1860-1960)," a combination movement and history class. By placing dance in a socio-cultural matrix, she saw that the dance becomes a keyhole from which one views society. This was achieved by multi-media lectures using historical video footage, slides and costumes from the different time periods. This unique class was offered for the university at large and was highly successful.

As a performer, Yvonne appeared with the modern dance Kazuko and Company, the Performing Tree (theater and dance productions for children in greater Los Angeles area), exhibition dancing with a partner and the Beverly Hills Ballroom Dance Team. By the mid-1980s she turned to historical dance, comprised of Renaissance, Baroque and 19th century social dancing, all of which became her areas of research, reconstruction and performance. Although not known nationally, she performed both as a soloist and in historical dance ensembles and choreographed historically-related pieces performed throughout the greater Los Angeles area and southern California, such as with the Los Angeles Chamber Baroque Orchestra and the Antique Academy of Genteel Dancing at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. She was assistant choreographer and dancer in the motion picture "Geronimo" released in 1993. And in 1995 she choreographed "Man of Mode" (a historical dance of 1680) for California State University Fullerton.

As a researcher and exhibit designer, she displayed Ruth St. Denis costumes, letters, papers and photos in 1981 for the UCLA Special Collections Library located in the University Research Library, "Reflections of Ruth St. Denis." A year later, again for UCLA's Special Collections Library she organized an exhibition of ballet memorabilia dating from 1898 to 1960, "A little bit of nostalgia, great moments in dance." For the West Los Angeles College in 1985, she organized a display case of African artifacts including beadwork, bowls, costumes, pipes and plants. And in the summer of 1994, she was a research scholar at the Smithsonian Institute working on clothing of 1640-1700 under curator Claudia Kidwell.

Although during her graduate studies at UCLA, and while writing her thesis, Yvonne did not consider herself a "writer," she went on to initiate a modest Journal of the Association of Graduate Dance Ethnologists, 1977, a low-budget mimeographed issue that evolved into an important annual publication supported by the UCLA Graduate Association and Department of Dance. This landmark publication for dance ethnology in its eighth year changed its title to the UCLA Journal of Ethnology. Volume 19, the final issue was published in 1995. This publication was not only an outlet for significant research conducted by graduate students, but each issue included articles by prominent dance scholars, such as Joann Kealiinohomoku, of CCDR.

Within the dance ethnology world, Yvonne was best known as the editor of the UCLA Journal of Dance Ethnology, and her home in West Los Angeles, near the UCLA campus was always available for those editorial board meetings. Yvonne as the gracious hostess always provided "nourishment food" for those over-extended students. Her home was also open to dance ethnology alumni for meetings, and an extra bed for out-of-town alumni returning to Los Angeles.

A simple hard growth on her heel -- ignored since it seemed innocuous -- turned out to be a cancerous growth. Even with a below-the-knee amputation of her right leg, Yvonne managed to handle hopping about with the aid of crutches with a dancer's grace.

May 1, 1997 Yvonne Cootz left us to dance eternally. She was truly an embodiment of CCDR's vision, and it is fitting that part of her estate should be directed to CCDR's endowment fund.

Cross-Cultural Dance Resources
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