Maud Allan (born as either Beulah Maude Durrant or Ulah Maud Alma Durrant; 27 August 1873 – 7 October 1956) was a Canadian dancer, chiefly noted for her Dance of the Seven Veils. In World War I, she faced accusations of being a lesbian spy, for which she sued unsuccessfully for libel.
Early life
Maud Allan was born Ulah Maud Allan Durrant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1873 to William Allan Durrant and Isabella (Hutchinson) Durrant. Allan was the second of two children, after her older brother, Theodore Durrant (1871–1898). As a young person, Allan loved piano and was very musically gifted. Her teacher was Miss Lichenstein, a well-known piano teacher in Toronto and Montreal at the time.
In 1887, her mother, brother and herself moved to San Francisco, California, to meet their father who had lived there for three years before, establishing a life for the family. Theo and Maud attended Lincoln High School and then the Cogswell Technical Institute where she took courses in wood carving and sculpture. During this time Allan was still practicing and teaching piano. She also gave concerts in the homes of affluent people living in San Francisco like Adolph Sutro. Sutro was rumoured to be her grandfather and her mother's biological father, there is sufficient evidence to assume this to be true as the family had little money, yet they were able to send Theo to private boarding school and afford a home in an affluent neighbourhood in San Francisco owned by Sutro.
Allan's family was also actively engaged in the Emmanuel Baptist Church, specifically her brother Theo who was the Assistant Superintendent of the church's Sunday school. Her brother was also enrolled in medical school at Cooper Medical College. Allan's piano teacher, Eugene Bonelli, director of the San Francisco Grand Academy of Music, recommended that she continue her studies in Berlin, Germany at the Hochschule fur Musik.
Even though her family was financially strained, her mother pushed for her to go to Europe to continue her education. Isabella and Theo also planned on meeting her in Germany and travelling around Europe with her after Theo's graduation from medical school. Theo planned to pursue postgraduate medical studies while in Europe.
Only six weeks after Allan went to pursue her career in Germany, her brother committed what was known as the crime of the century. Theodore was charged and convicted of the murders of two young women at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Allan was unable to farewell her brother because he was hanged on January 7, 1898, at San Quentin Prison while she was still living in Berlin. Allan blamed herself for her brother's death because she believed if she hadn't left him, he wouldn't have committed the murders. She always maintained that her brother was innocent, and he died unnecessarily. His death stayed with Allan for many years after, and she and her mother Isabella scattered his ashes around Europe to mourn his loss. There is speculation that her last name was changed to Allan to distance herself from her brother's actions and allow her to have a successful career.
Stage and dance career
Allan began her dance career after meeting Ferruccio Busoni, the director of the Meister-schüle in Weimar, Germany where she studied piano after she finished studying in Berlin. Allegedly, the first time Allan danced was in front of Busoni and he became enthralled with her performance requesting that she stop pursuing piano and pursue dance instead. One of Busoni's contemporaries was Marcel Remy who became her agent, manager, and composer.
She made her stage debut in Vienna, Austria on November 24, 1903, at the age of 30. She danced to Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Bach, Schumann, Chopin, Schubert, and Debussy. Allan toured this performance throughout Europe and traveled to cities like Liège, Brussels, Berlin, Leipzig, and Cologne over the next 5 years. These five years were crucial for solidifying Allan's career change from pianist to dancer and legitimating her talents among the ranks of Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis.