Dancing in Utopia : Dartington Hall and its Dancers

In 1925 Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst bought the Dartington Hall Estate, planning for a community where arts and education would underpin a fulfilling life. There was an emphasis on the art of dance, with artists from Europe, America and Asia gracing its studios and gardens. This is the story of utopian dance at Dartington in its centenary year.

Bought in 1925 by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst, the Devon estate of Dartington Hall earned itself a place in the annals of utopian schemes through the Elmhirsts’ conviction that arts, education and work could all be integrated into an abundant life for the participation of everyone. From the perspective of the time, when dance was not necessarily given equality with other arts, they believed in dance as an art for the betterment of society. As early as 1932 a Dance School was built on the site. It offered professional training in modern dance, and acted as a base for community outreach. From the 1960s, Dartington College of Arts became a fulcrum for intercontinental exchanges and the Dartington Dance Festivals of the 1970s provided inspiration for a generation of independent and radical choreographers. After Dartington College of Arts moved from the estate in 2010, many dance artists were able to develop their work in the vacated studios. Schumacher College, Dartington’s ecological education centre, meanwhile evolved degree qualifications that combined rigorous science with discovery methods deriving from the embodied training that dancers had been developing. This new edition of the book, first published in 2007, assesses Dartington’s dance legacy in its centenary year, with insights into dance of the twenty-first century. For students of history, it provides a lens through which to view a century of change in dance and society. Enthusiasts of Dartington Hall will find here a compelling narrative about exceptional artists working within the often impossible demands of utopian dreams.