Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 464 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (671 × 867 pixel, file size: 105 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Date [no date recorded on caption card] Author Bain News Service Permission File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 464 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (671 × 867 pixel, file size: 105 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Date [no date recorded on caption card] Author Bain News Service Permission File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ...

Born Dora Angela Duncan in San Francisco, California, she is considered by many to be the mother of Modern Dance. Although never very popular in the United States, she entertained throughout Europe. Nickname: Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Founded 1776 Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ... Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Early life

Duncan was born in San Francisco, where she lived with her mother Dora, and her father, Joseph Duncan. Joseph Duncan eventually walked out on his family, giving the family a reason to convert from Roman Catholicism to strict atheism. Duncan attended school for the early years of her life, but dropped out because she found it to be constricting to her individuality. Her family was very poor, so to earn extra money, both she and her sister gave dance classes to local children. Their mother also taught piano lessons. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... “Atheist” redirects here. ...

In 1895 she became part of Augustin Daly's theater company in New York but soon became disillusioned with the form. In 1899, she made the decision to move to Europe; first to London, England and then a year later to Paris, France. Within two years she had achieved both notoriety and success.

Career

Montparnasse's developing Bohemian environment did not suit her. In 1909, she moved to two large apartments at 5 Rue Danton where she lived on the ground floor and used the first floor for her dance school. Barefoot, dressed in clinging scarfs and faux-Grecian tunics, she created a primitivist style of improvisational dance to counter the rigid styles of the time. Isadora believed that classical ballet, with its strict rules of posture and formation, was "ugly and against nature" and gained a wide following that allowed her to set up a school to teach. She became so famous that she inspired artists and authors to create sculpture, jewelry, poetry, novels, photographs, watercolors, prints and paintings. When the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées was built in 1913, her face was carved in the bas-relief by sculptor Antoine Bourdelle and painted in the murals by Maurice Denis. The term bohemian was first used in the nineteenth century to describe the non-traditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities. ... Walking barefoot Going barefoot is the practice of not wearing shoes, socks, or other foot covering. ... Primitive communism, according to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, is the original society of humanity. ... Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to movement used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. ... Painting of ballet dancers by Edgar Degas, 1872. ... The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées is a Parisian theater, famous for being the place of the scandal related to the first performance of Igor Stravinskys Rite of Spring in 1913. ... Bas relief is a method of sculpting which entails carving or etching away the surface of a flat piece of stone or metal. ... Antoine Bourdelle (October 30, 1861 _ October 1, 1929) was a French sculptor and teacher. ... Maurice Denis (November 25, 1870 – November 1943) was a French painter and writer and a member of the Symbolist and Les Nabis movements. ...

In 1922 she acted on her sympathy for the social and political experiment being carried out in the new Soviet Union and moved to Moscow. She cut a striking figure in the increasingly austere post-revolution capital, but her international prominence brought welcome attention to the new regime's artistic and cultural ferment. The Russian government's failure to follow through on extravagant promises of support for Duncan's work, combined with the country's spartan living conditions, sent her back to the West in 1924.

Throughout her career, Duncan disliked the commercial aspects of public performance, regarding touring, contracts, and other practicalities as distractions from her real mission: the creation of beauty and the education of the young. A gifted if unconventional pedagogue, she was the founder of three schools dedicated to inculcating her philosophy into groups of young girls (a brief effort to include boys was unsuccessful). The first, in Grunewald, Germany, gave rise to her most celebrated group of pupils, dubbed "the Isadorables," who took her surname and subsequently performed both with Duncan and independently. The second had a short-lived existence prior to World War I at a château outside Paris, while the third was part of Duncan's tumultuous experiences in Moscow in the wake of the Russian Revolution. Grunewald is both a forest in Berlin on the east side of the Havel and a municipal district of Berlin (part of the borough of [Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf]]. The district developed out of a so-called mansion colony when the upper class of Berlin discovered Grunewald as an attractive site for... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Duncan's teaching, and her pupils, caused her both pride and anguish. Her sister, Elizabeth Duncan, took over the German school and adapted it to the Teutonic philosophy of her German husband. The Isadorables were subject to ongoing hectoring from Duncan over their willingness to perform commercially (and one, Lisa Duncan, was permanently ostracized for performing in nightclubs); the most notable of the group, Irma Duncan, remained in the Soviet Union after Duncan's departure and ran the school there, again angering Duncan by allowing students to perform too publicly and too commercially.

Personal life

Both in her professional and her private lives, she flouted traditional mores and morality. She married the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, who was 18 years her junior. Yesenin accompanied her on a tour of Europe, but his frequent drunken rages, resulting in the repeated destruction of furniture and the smashing of the doors and windows of their hotel rooms, brought a great deal of negative publicity. The following year he left Duncan and returned to Moscow where he soon suffered a mental breakdown and was placed in a mental institution. Released from hospital, he allegedly committed suicide on December 28, 1925. It is still unclear whether the poet was murdered or commited suicide indeed. Sergei Yesenin Sergei Aleksandrovich Yesenin, sometimes spelled Esenin (Russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Есе́нин; October 3, 1895 [O.S. September 21] – December 28, 1925) was a famous Russian lyrical poet. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government  - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area  - City 1,081 km²  (417. ... A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Duncan bore two children, both out of wedlock -- the first, Deirdre (born September 24, 1906), by theatre designer Gordon Craig, and the second, Patrick (born May 1, 1910)^[1], by Paris Singer, one of the many sons of sewing machine magnate Isaac Singer. Her private life was subject to considerable scandal, especially following the drowning of Deirdre and Patrick in an accident on the Seine River on April 19, 1913. The children were in the car with their nanny for a day out, while Isadora stayed at home. The car stalled to avoid a collision. The chauffeur got out of the car to fix the engine, but he had forgotten to use the emergency brake, and so once he got the car to start, it shot forwards across the Boulevard Bourdon and proceeded to roll down the embankment, and into the river below. The children and the nanny drowned^[1]. Following the accident, she spent several weeks at the Viareggio seaside resort with actress Eleonora Duse. The fact that Duse was just coming out of a lesbian relationship with rebellious young lesbian feminist Lina Poletti fuelled speculation as to the nature of Duncan and Duse's relationship. However, there has never been definite proof that the two were involved romantically.^[2] Edward Henry Gordon Craig (16 January 1872-29 July 1966), usually known as Gordon Craig, was a British actor, producer, director and scenic designer. ... A modern machine (Singer Symphonie 300) A sewing machine is a mechanical (or electromechanical) device that joins fabric using thread. ... Portrait of Isaac Merritt Singer by Edward Harrison May (1869). ... This article is about the river in France; it should not be confused with the Senne, a much smaller river that flows through Brussels. ... Eleonora Duse (October 3, 1858–April 21, 1924), was an Italian actress, often known simply as Duse. ... A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. ...

She was inspired by the classics, especially Greek myth. She rejected traditional ballet steps to stress improvisation, emotion, and the human form.

In her last United States tour in 1922-23, she waved a red scarf and bared her breast on stage in Boston, proclaiming, "This is red! So am I!". She was bisexual, which was not uncommon in early Hollywood circles. She had a lengthy and passionate affair with poet Mercedes de Acosta, and was possibly involved with writer Natalie Barney. Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... In human sexuality, bisexuality describes a man or woman having a sexual orientation to persons of either or both sexes (a man or woman who sexually likes both sexes; people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to both males and females). ... Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1893 - May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, costume designer, and socialite best known for her lesbian affairs with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Alla Nazimova, Eva Le Gallienne ([1]), Isadora Duncan, Katharine Cornell, Maude Adams, Ona Munson (Belle Watling in the movie Gone With... Nathalie Barney (1876-1972), also known as Natalie Barney, was a American heiress who became well known as the mistress of a literary salon in France. ...

Duncan and de Acosta wrote regularly in often revealing letters of correspondence. In one, written in 1927, Duncan wrote; (quoted by Hugo Vickers in "Loving Garbo") ".....A slender body, hands soft and white, for the service of my delight, two sprouting breasts round and sweet, invite my hungry mouth to eat, from whence two nipples firm and pink, persuade my thirsty soul to drink, and lower still a secret place where I'd fain hide my loving face....."^[3]

In another letter, written to de Acosta by Duncan, she writes; "Mercedes, lead me with your little strong hands and I will follow you - to the top of a mountain. To the end of the world. Wherever you wish." Isadora, June 28, 1926.^[3] is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

De Acosta had once proclaimed that from the moment she first saw Isadora Duncan, she looked upon her as a great genius, taken by her completely.^[3]

Later life

By the end of her life, Duncan's performing career had dwindled, and she became as notorious for her financial woes, scandalous love life, and all-too-frequent public drunkenness as for her contributions to the arts. She spent her final years moving between Paris and the Mediterranean, running up debts at hotels or spending short periods in apartments rented on her behalf by an ever-decreasing number of friends and supporters, many of whom attempted to assist her in writing an autobiography, in the hope that it would be sufficiently successful to support her. In a reminiscent sketch, Zelda Fitzgerald recalled how she and Scott sat in a Paris cafe watching a somewhat drunk Duncan. Scott Fitzgerald would speak of how memorable it was, but what Zelda recalled was that while all eyes were watching Duncan, Zelda was able to steal the salt and pepper shakers (shaped like miniature taxicabs) from the table. Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald (July 24, 1900 - March 10, 1948), born Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama, was the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, whom she married in 1920. ...

In the book Isadora, an Intimate Portrait the author, Sewell Stokes, who met her in the last years of her life when she was penniless and alone, describes her extravagant waywardness. Duncan's autobiography My Life was published in 1927. Sewell Stokes (November 16, 1902 London - November 2, 1979 London) was an English novelist, biographer, playwright, and screenwriter. ...

Death

A habitual wearer of flowing scarves which trailed behind her, Duncan's fashion preferences were the cause of her death in a freak automobile accident in Nice, France, on the night of September 14, 1927 at the age of 50. The accident gave rise to Gertrude Stein's mordant remark that "affectations can be dangerous." This is a list of unusual deaths – unique causes or extremely rare circumstances – recorded throughout history. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 29, 1946) was an American writer and catalyst in the development of modern art and literature, who spent most of her life in France. ...

Duncan was a passenger in the Amilcar automobile of a handsome young Italian mechanic, Benoît Falchetto, whom she had ironically nicknamed 'Buggatti' [sic]. (The marque of the automobile is open to dispute but the informed opinion is that it was an Amilcar, a 1924 GS model. It was regularly described and filmed as a more glamorous Bugatti). Before getting into the car, she said to a friend, Mary Desti, and some companions, "Adieu, mes amis. Je vais à la gloire!" ("Goodbye, my friends, I am off to glory!") However, according to the diaries of the American novelist Glenway Wescott, who was in Nice at the time and visited Duncan's body in the morgue (his diaries are in the collection of the Beineke Library at Yale University), Desti admitted that she had lied about Duncan's last words. Instead, she told Wescott, the dancer actually said, "Je vais à l'amour" ("I am off to love"), which Desti considered too embarrassing to go down in history as the legend's final utterance, especially since it suggested that Duncan hoped that she and Falchetto were going to her hotel for a sexual assignation. Whatever her actual last words, when Falchetto drove off, Duncan's immense handpainted silk scarf, which was a gift from Desti and was large enough to be wrapped around her body and neck and flutter out of the car, became entangled around one of the vehicle's open-spoked wheels and rear axle. Duncan died on the scene. The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1939. ... The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1939. ... Bugatti is one of the fastest marques of automobile and one of the most exclusive car producers of all time. ... Glenway Wescott (1901-1987) was an American novelist and essayist, author of such works as The Grandmothers (1927), The Pilgrim Hawk (1940), and Apartment in Athens (1945), as well as the essay collection Images of Truth (1962). ...

As The New York Times noted in its obituary of the dancer on 15 September 1927, "The automobile was going at full speed when the scarf of strong silk began winding around the wheel and with terrific force dragged Miss Duncan, around whom it was securely wrapped, bodily over the side of the car, precipitating her with violence against the cobblestone street. She was dragged for several yards before the chauffeur halted, attracted by her cries in the street. Medical aid was summoned, but it was stated that she had been strangled and killed instantly."^[4] The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Isadora Duncan was cremated, and her ashes were placed in the columbarium of Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France. A plaque commemorating her death is to be found at the San Fernando cathedral in Mexico City. Looking down the hill at the Père-Lachaise cemetery The cimetière du Père-Lachaise (pronounced pierre la-sh-ez) is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris (there are larger cemeteries in Paris suburbs). ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... United arms of Castile and León which Ferdinand first used. ...

Isadora Duncan in culture

• John Dos Passos devotes a section of his panoramic 1936 novel The Big Money to Duncan, called "Art and Isadora".
• Vivian Pickles played Isadora Duncan in Ken Russell's astonishingly inventive 1966 biopic for the BBC. Subtitled 'The Biggest Dancer in the World' it was introduced by Isadora's biographer, Sewell Stokes, and is probably unmatched as a portrait of the pain and the glory that come with being an artist.
• The 1968 film of her life, Isadora, starred Vanessa Redgrave in the title role.
• When She Danced, a stage play about Duncan's later years by Martin Sherman won the 1991 Evening Standard Award (best actress) for Vanessa Redgrave.
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events books contained the Quagmire triplets named Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley. Isadora and Duncan are quite unlucky, which is a reference to Isadora Duncan's ill-fated life.
• In a deleted scene of James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, the character Rose DeWitt Bukater mentions that she wishes that she could escape her horrid life as a wealthy, restricted young woman and become an artist, or a sculptor, or a dancer like Isadora Duncan.
• She is featured in the opening theme song to the popular 1970s show Maude. "Isadora was the first bra burner, ain't you glad she showed up."
• In the romantic comedy film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, a diamond necklace supposedly once having belonged to Isadora Duncan is featured.
• Salsa diva Celia Cruz sang a song in Isadora Duncan's honor, titled "Isadora".
• Robert Calvert poet and musician recorded a song about Isadora Duncan on his Revenge EP. The song is called Isadora and mentions dancing schools and fast cars.
• In the Pixar animated movie The Incredibles Edna Mode refuses to make a cape for Mr. Incredible's new uniform, citing numerous mishaps that previous heroes have had with their capes, perhaps inspired by Isadora's tangling and death from her scarf. The villain, Syndrome, is later killed in a similar way when his cape is caught in a jet engine.
• In the Mage: The Ascension supplement Cult of Ecstasy, Duncan is considered an important figure in the Cult's history.
• Isadora Duncan is referenced in the poem Fever 103 by Sylvia Plath.
• In Mikhail Bulgakov's story Heart of a Dog professor Preobrazhensky compares his life with Duncan's life in Moscow.
• In the 1997 animated film Anastasia, an Isadora Duncan character makes a cameo during the "Paris Hold the Key to her Heart" number, singing the line "Come dance through the night!" with a long scarf dangling behind her.
• Duncan is the "poor dancing girl" alluded to in The Libertines' song "Radio America".
• Isadora Duncan is mentioned in an episode of The Mighty Boosh' talking of her death and then subsequently Vince's scarf gets caught up in the wheel of the van.
• Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) mentioned reading "My Life" by Isadora Duncan in the movie "Serpico".
• In the animated Disney cartoon The Weekenders, Tish went into a discount costume shop looking for an Isadora Duncan costume. However, all the costume shop had was legionnaire breastplates and feather boas.
• John Lennon sings "Isadora Duncan, worked at TeleFunken" in an outtake on Let It Be.
• Magnetic Fields sings on the wayward bus "Like Isadora Duncan II In impossibly long white scarves" On the track Jeremy.

John Rodrigo Dos Passos (January 14, 1896 — September 28, 1970) was an important Portuguese-American novelist and artist. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The U.S.A. Trilogy is the major work of American writer John Dos Passos. ... Sewell Stokes (November 16, 1902 London - November 2, 1979 London) was an English novelist, biographer, playwright, and screenwriter. ... Isadora (also known as The Loves of Isadora) is a 1968 biographical film which tells the story of dancer Isadora Duncan. ... Vanessa Redgrave, CBE (born 30 January 1937) is an Academy Award winning English actress and member of the Redgrave family, one of the enduring theatrical dynasties. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... Vanessa Redgrave, CBE (born 30 January 1937) is an Academy Award winning English actress and member of the Redgrave family, one of the enduring theatrical dynasties. ... Lemony Snicket is a pseudonym used by author Daniel Handler in his book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as a character in that series. ... This article is about the book series. ... James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a three-time Academy Award winning director, producer and screenwriter. ... Titanic is a 1997 romantic drama film directed, written, and co-produced by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... And Then Theres Maude (Maudes Theme) was the theme song for the television series Maude, written and performed by Donny Hathaway. ... Maude is a half-hour American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 29, 1978. ... Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. ... How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is an American 2003 motion picture. ... This article is about the gemstone. ... Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos. ... Celia Cruz (October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a three-time Grammy Award and four-time Latin Grammy winning Cuban-American salsa singer who spent most of her career living in New Jersey, and working in the United States and several Latin American countries. ... Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 - 14 August 1988) was the lead singer, poet and frontman of Hawkwind intermittently from 1972-1979, who went on to a less successful but intriguing separate career. ... Pixars studio lot in Emeryville Pixar Animation Studios is an American computer animation studio based in Emeryville, California (USA) notable for its seven Academy Awards. ... The Incredibles is a 2004 Academy Award-winning computer-animated feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, centering around a family of superheroes. ... Edna Marie E Mode is a principal character from the movie The Incredibles. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mage: The Ascension is a role-playing game based in the World of Darkness, and is published by White Wolf Game Studio. ... Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. ... Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков; May 15 [O.S. May 3] 1891, Kiev – March 10, 1940, Moscow) was a Russian novelist and playwright of the first half of the 20th century. ... Heart of a Dog (Russian: , Sobače serdce) is a 1925 story by Mikhail Bulgakov. ... Look up Anastasia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the band The Libertines. ... The Mighty Boosh is a British cult comedy about two friends who go on magical adventures. ... Disney may refer to: The Walt Disney Company and its divisions, including Walt Disney Pictures. ... The Weekenders is a Disney animated series about the weekend life of four pre-adolescents: Tino Tonitini (Jason Marsden), Lor McQuarrie (Grey DeLisle), Carver Descartes (Phil LaMarr), and Petrotishkovna Tish Katsufrakis (Kath Soucie). ... This can also refer to a piece of riding equipment, see Breastplate (tack). ... Woman with a black feather boa, c. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Let It Be was an album by The Beatles, released on May 8, 1970. ... The name Magnetic Fields has been used by: A 1981 album by Jean Michel Jarre; see Magnetic Fields (album) (Les Chants Magnetiques) A computer game developer; see Magnetic Fields (computer game developer) The Magnetic Fields, a band led by Stephin Merritt For magnetic fields in general, see magnetic field. ...

External links

• Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, Inc., directed by Lori Belilove
• Isadora Duncan's Web Links
• Isadora Duncan International Institute, Inc.
• Modern Duncan biographer, Peter Kurth's Isadora Duncan page
• Picture of Duncan
• Picture of Duncan
• Isadora Duncan Archiv, a German web site.
• Place where she lived during her childhood (map)

References