Jerome Andrews

Jerome Andrews (1908 – October 26, 1992) was an American dancer, choreographer, and dance educator whose career spanned Broadway, concert halls, and European stages. Born in Plaistow, New Hampshire, he received his formal training at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle before studying modern dance under Martha Graham, Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey, and Hanya Holm. The work of Mary Wigman also shaped his artistic development.

Andrews launched his performing career in Paris in the early 1930s, appearing as a dancer in a production of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at Le Colisee. He also performed in London, where Sigurd Leeder choreographed him in Prometheus. Concurrently, from 1931 to 1937, he danced in both ballet and modern dance productions at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where he also choreographed Maurice Ravel's The Waltz for the venue. During this period he served as a dance teacher and assistant to Alyse Bentley and continued to work alongside his former teacher Martha Graham. It was at Radio City Music Hall that Andrews encountered ballet dancer Edith Allard, who later credited him with inspiring her to pursue a career in Paris.

His Broadway career ran from 1931 to 1942 and encompassed a range of productions across genres. He appeared in the revue Walk a Little Faster, the burlesque Star and Garter, and The Straw Hat Revue, as well as the musical Lady in the Dark and a production of the play Hamlet.

In 1952, Andrews relocated permanently to Paris, where he established himself as a teacher and choreographer at a time when ballet dominated French dance culture. The following year he founded Les Compagnons de la Danse, and in 1964 he formed the Jerome Andrews Dance Company. Among his most prominent students were Dominique Dupuy and Francoise Dupuy. The Los Angeles Times recognized him as a pioneer of modern dance in France. Andrews died in Paris on October 26, 1992, at the age of eighty-four.