In Baltimore she served as chairperson of the Peabody Institute Dance Department for nearly 25 years, retiring in 1970. In 1976 The Maryland Council for Dance gave its 2nd annual award to Miss Lynn for "outstanding contributions to the dance in Maryland."
(The photograph is from the Mary Campbell Collection, Texas Woman's University. L. to R. Joseph Pilates, unknown subject, unknown subject, Carol Lynn, Mary Campbell, unknown subject, and Jeanette Schlottman on the ground in the Tea Garden at Jacob's Pillow. Sign reads "Welcome to Jacob's Pillow, International Dance Festival and School.")
Beginning at age 8 Carol Lynn joined a folk dancing class at her elementary school, as this was before the days of wide-spread ballet instruction in the United States. Her mother took her to the opera and theater and after seeing someone on pointe it was just ballet for her.
Miss Lynn's ballet mistress was Madame Elisabetta Menzeli. After Miss Lynn moved with her mother to Baltimore in 1920, and began teaching ballet, Madame Menzeli, recently retired, came and stayed with them, and gave Miss Lynn private ballet lessons to keep her technique sharp, at 5 in the morning. (1)
As a professional dancer she toured with a small company that performed in vaudeville, as it was not until the 1930s that the United States became ballet conscious with the advent of Colonel de Basil and his Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo performing all over the United States.
Beginning in the summer of 1922 Miss Lynn trained in the Denishawn School in New York to learn their method, and for several summers following studied with Fokine, Mordkin and others.
At this period, during the winters, she taught at her own school in Baltimore, and she and her advanced students danced annually at the Lyric Theater for almost 10 years, and later at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
It was Carol Lynn who persuaded Ted Shawn in the mid-1930s to arrange a course for women at Jacob's Pillow, which he insisted she manage alone. Ted Shawn was busy with his troupe of men dancers that he had formed in 1932. (1)
During her tenure at the Pillow she had charge of school activities and filmed the many artists performing, as well as "Les Sylphides" as performed by Ballet Theater; "Giselle" and "Coppelia" by Ballet Rambert.
During the years 1960-1964 I was privileged to study with Carol Lynn. I honor her because she nurtured all her students, regardless of ability or disability. In my years with her, she included the deaf and ADD students in the ballet classroom. All benefited from her teaching.
Resources
(1) Article 'Carol Lynn ...' ,"The Sun" newspaper, Baltimore, Maryland, by Weldon Wallace, Tuesday, October 8, 1976.
Personal memories as Carol Lynn's student 1960-1964.
Classical Ballet Beginning to Advanced - Homepage
Classical Ballet Beginning to Advanced by Susan Kramer. Preballet, beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of ballet with hundreds of combinations including a separate section of pointe work. 100 pages. Ebook or Paperback Book
Article by Susan Kramer; photo credit the Mary Campbell Collection, Texas Woman's University
