In the Srinivasan piece, Ruth St. Denis is described to have been entranced by both nautch dancers at Coney Island and (perhaps untruly) by an "exotic" cigarette ad featuring the goddess, Isis. Whichever is true, it is possible that St. Denis was most taken by the exoticism in East Indian dance that each medium used. In her autobiography, she uses moving words and phrases like "the waters of the Nile with lotus growing," "strange instrument of fate," and "whirling skirted damsels" (St. Denis, 1939, 52-55). This type of dance and imagery was seldom seen in the United States at the time, so the initial exposure was alluring. St. Denis also mentioned, rather honestly, the possible profit she stood to make by recreating the "exotic" dance. This is different from La Meri, who sought to recreate the dance with reverence to the culture that produced the dance. For that reason, she found teachers from that LIVED the culture to teach her each "ethnic" dance, instead of attempted to recreate the dance from HER OWN knowledge. She did not attach her name to any style of dance.