These young women, many of whom went on to found dance programs at other colleges and universities throughout the United States, were, in the words of one of the most eminent of them, Elizabeth R. Hayes, “too enthralled with the words and ideas that she gave us to pause and question what we were learning. Everything was exciting. We were thrilled to have encouragement to pursue our love of dancing!” (Hayes, conversations with the author, Oct. 2001).
This enthusiasm persisted for well over five decades. H’Doubler became, literally, a legend in her own time, revered for her clear and persistent message and admired for her professional and personal demeanor. No one presumes to criticize such a legend; least of all while she is living and presenting seminars and workshops as she did clear into the mid-seventies. When I first solicited long-time colleagues and past students of H’Doubler’s for critical articles, most responded positively—even enthusiastically; and I made it clear that I was not looking for accolades as those were abundant and readily available. Later, however, two individuals retracted their articles stating their unease at criticizing the master. I was unable to assure the authors that their critiques were fair and were needed to contribute depth and verisimilitude to the anthology.
Fourth, H’Doubler’s students became, just as she wished them to be, independent artists, scholars, and teachers. They dedicated themselves to their own work. Most, if not all, were happy to name H’Doubler as their inspiring mentor, but they did not see themselves as disciples. This was in contrast to the disciples of Laban, for example, who elaborated and extended his theories into systems for analyzing and experiencing movement bearing his name or his name joined with the disciple’s name (i.e., Laban / Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies). If H’Doubler had actually developed a mechanical system for analysis of movement as Laban had, the story might have played out differently. As it was, she simply urged her students to find answers and applications for their discoveries in the context of her classes on their own. In answer to our observations and questions she typically responded, “That’s a very good question. Why don’t you find out how to answer it for yourself and then demonstrate what it means to you in the class?”