Ellen Adams Moore

Ellen Adams Moore, 97, of Madison passed away peacefully June 7, 2023 in the quiet beauty of the family farm and the Wisconsin countryside she loved.  She was born October 3rd, 1925 in Mason City Iowa, the daughter of Louis and Stella (Adams) Moore.  She was the 2nd wife of artist Warrington Colescott, with whom she enjoyed an exciting lifestyle and travel experiences she treasured.  

Ellen attended Dana Hall Prep School and Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA, earning a BA in Zoology in 1947.  She attended summer programs at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, MA.  After graduating from Wellesley College, she moved to New York City to work in a zoology lab and study modern dance with Martha Graham at the Martha Graham School of Dance.  She attended summer dance intensives including the American Dance Festival of 1948 at Connecticut College where she studied with modern dance pioneers Martha Graham, Louis Horst, Doris Humphrey and Jose Limon.  

Ellen traveled to Madison to consider a master’s degree program and enrolled with her mentor Margaret H’Doubler earning a MS in Dance in 1951.  The following years she taught dance at Michigan State College, Bath Academy of Art in Somerset England and UW Madison Department of Dance and Extension.  She studied dance with Mary Wigman in 1952 in Switzerland and Hanya Holm in 1953 at Colorado College and received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1956 for study in Berlin.  

During the 1970’s and 1980’s Ellen received “Creative Behavior” mentorship from Eugene and Juanita Sagan of Berkeley CA, which significantly influenced her lifestyle, teaching and parenting.  She was a devoted teacher and mother, a lover of animals, an active participant in political action, an avid gardener, a singer and a sailor.  

Ellen is survived by her son Julian Colescott (Kristin Kopplin), daughter Lydia Scott, daughter-in-law Nell Hansen, beloved nieces, nephews, grandchildren and her dance family.  She was preceded in death by her son Louis Colescott, her sisters Alice Anne Blackmore and Carol Smith, nephew Shawn Smith, brothers-in-law, and her parents. 

A Memorial Service will be held August 5th at Cress Funeral Home at 6021 University Avenue in Middleton, 53705.  Visitation 10am, Sharing 11am, with luncheon to follow. 

Please share your memories of Ellen here on her Tribute Wall.

Cress Center

6021 University Ave. Madison

(608) 238-8406