Angela Isadora Duncan
Personal Information
Born: 1877
Died: 1927
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
dropped out of school age 10
""I spent long days and nights in the studio seeking that dance which might be the divine expression of the human spirit through the medium of the body's movement." (Wikipedia); "The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul." (dance.washington.edu); “Yes, I am a revolutionist,” she said to the press, “All true artists are revolutionists.” (isadoraduncan.org/about-1); "My inspiration has been drawn from trees, from waves, from clouds, from the sympathies that exist between passion and the storm, between gentleness and the soft breeze, and the like, and I always endeavour to put into my movements a little of that divine continuity which gives to the whole of nature its beauty and its life." (en.wikiquote.org); "
— Angela Isadora Duncan
Professional Life
Field of Study: Dance; Choreography
Institution/Corporation: None found
Degrees & Memberships: None found
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1987 National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame
Achievements: pioneer of modern contemporary dance; her innovative technique emphasized natural movement in contrast to the rigidity of traditional ballet; emphasized what she called "evolutionary" dance motion, insisting that each movement was born from the one that preceded it, that each movement gave rise to the next, and so on in organic succession; opened several school to teach her philosophy of dance; her autobiography "My Life" was published in 1927
Began using her middle name when she was 16
died when her scarf became entangled in the wheel and axle of the car in which she was travelling in Nice, France
is known as "The Mother of Modern dance"
dropped out of school when she was 10 because she found it too restrictive
was tutored by poet Ina Coolbrith
after parents divorce (either when she was an infant or up to 3 years ole depending on your source) she & her 3 siblings struggled with poverty
depending on your source, she & her siblings, especially her sister Elizabeth, began giving dance lessons to other children when she was 6 or as old as 10
family moved to Chicago, then London in 1898, and then Paris so she could dance
1902 she toured Europe with Loie fuller & her dance company
influenced many other artists including dancers, composers, painters, & authors of her time
she opened her 1st dance school in Berlin-Grunewald Germany in 1904 & it was the birthplace of the "Isadorables" with 6 of them becoming her star proteges who she adopted (although no documents confirming this have been found) & they took her last name in 1919: 3 of the Isadorables continued teaching her dances & style to others after her death
retrned to the US in 1914 & opened a school in NYC
1921 moved to Moscow & opened a school there with Lenin becoming oneof her supporters
believed movement originated from the solar plexus
her 2 children & their nanny died in 1913 when the car they were riding in fell into the Seine & they drowned
gave birth to a 3rd child in 1914 but he died shortly after birth with some sources maintaining he was stillborn
Married Russian poet Sergei Yesenin in 1922 but separated in 1023, he was found the apparent victim of suicide in 1925
her career declined due to her depression over the deaths of her children
spent her finaal years moving between Paris the Mediterranean, running up debts, struglling with poverty, public drunkenness & what were considered to be scandalous affairs
was a Russian citizen at the time of her death & her will was the 1st of a Soviet citizen to undergo propbate in the US
the Duncan Dance Guild was formed in the 1950s, the Duncan Centenary Company was established in 1977, the Isadora Duncan Heritage Society & the Isadora Duncan Archives were created in her honor
in medicine, the Isadora Duncan Syndrome refers to injury or death consequent to entanglement of neckwear with a wheel or other machinery
1915-18 photo studies of her were made by Arnold Genthe in NYC
when she & her husband returned to the US in 1922 they were detained at Ellis Island & suspected of being Bolshevik agents, after their release she swore she would never again return to the US & she never did
she didn't like being filed & as a result there is only 1 short film clip of her dancing
her dances/choreography is passed down from teacher to student & dancer to dancer, creating many variations in performances which goes along with her theory that dance is very individualized & springs from the dancer's soul
was constantly defying social norms of the day having 3 chikldren out of wedlock from 3 different fathers, dancing barefoot & in flimsy, flowing costumes whichr revealed much of the body, dancing naked, being vocal about her love of ?Russia & all things Russian
there are over 40 books, 2 major movies, at least 12 documentaries, several plays & poems, countless drawings, paintings, photos & sculptures of her