By 1916 when artist and dance historian Troy Kinney’s statement was published in the New York Times, America was in the midst of a dance revolution. The seeds of the modern dance movement had been planted a decade earlier with Isadora Duncan’s successful European tours. By 1916 she had returned to the United States several times to perform for captivated audiences. In 1906 Ruth St. Denis premiered her signature piece, Radha, which was influenced by and contributed to the American public’s craze for the exotic Far East. In 1914 Ruth St. Denis and her partner Ted Shawn opened their school of dance, Denishawn. There St. Denis and Shawn trained the next generation of modern dancers, including the incomparable Martha Graham. The Ballets Russes began its second tour of the United States in 1916, performing in cities across the country. And, in that same year, Russian dancer Anna Pavlova, the quintessential classical ballerina, toured the country for the third time.