Biography and Legacy of Isadora Duncan

Biography:

Isadora Angela Duncan was born on May 26^th, 1877 in San Francisco, California. Primarily her mother, Dora, raised her because her parents divorced when she was an infant. Dora had a great appreciation for the arts, and exposed Isadora to them at a young age. “At the age of 6, Duncan began to teach movement to little children in her neighborhood; word spread, and by the time she was 10, her classes had become quite large.” (1)

Duncan lived with her Brother, Raymond in New York and Chicago. She studied Greek Mythology and visual iconography, which gave her inspiration for her movement. She was intrigued by the bare feet and draped clothing of Greek art. After sometime she moved to Europe and became a huge sensation there. As her life progressed she opened schools in Germany, Russia, and the United States; her students were known as the “Isadorables.”

As Duncan aged she faced horrible tragedies. In 1913 her two children and their nanny drowned. She married “poet Sergey Aleksandrovich Yesenin in 1922, favoring a legal union to allow him travel to the U.S. However, the couple was ostracized due to anti-Bolshevik paranoia, and Duncan declared that she would not return to America.” (1) Yesenin committed suicide in the mid 1920s. Duncan continued to be emotionally unstable through the rest of her life. She died on September 14^th, 1927 when her scarf was caught in the back tire of an automobile driving away. Her autobiography, “My Life” was published later that year. She was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame in 1987.

The Duncan Legacy:

Isadora Duncan is known as one of the “Mothers of Modern Dance.” Her free spiritedness, Greek Mythology influences, and bare feet made her controversial in the United States. Her fresh point of view was widely accepted in Europe, however, and she became a huge sensation over seas. “With free-flowing costumes, bare feet, and loose hair, she took to the stage inspired by the ancient Greeks, the music of classical composers, the wind and the sea.” (2)

With her individuality she helped dance to have an important place in the arts. She boycotted corsets and the controlled form of ballet. Duncan stepped out of the studio to dance and embraced nature to inspire movement. She embraced philosophy and literature to teach and inspire her. Isadora referred to her movement as “…natural phenomenon- not an invention, but a rediscovery of the classical principles of beauty, motion, and form.” (2) She danced with her natural impulses and wished to dance her life in the present. Duncan moved for movement sake.

Although Isadora was beloved by so many people, her free-spiritedness caused much controversy because it was so different for the time. Duncan helped to break down barriers of what the definition of dance was and what the definition of women was. She was an advocator of Women’s Rights, which led to her inspiring many people for years to come. Duncan broke down barriers for women. She made money in her profession and opened her own schools of dance in the United States, Russia and Germany. “In 1913, her image was carved into the entrance of the newly built Theatre des Champs-Elysees. It was also painted in murals of the nine muses by Maurice Denis in the auditorium.” (3) Duncan had an influence everywhere she went and helped to shape dance into what it is today, as well as shape the woman of today.

Works Cited:

1. A&E Networks. "Isadora Duncan Biography." Bio.com. 2014. A&E Networks Television. 13 Feb. 2014 <http://www.biography.com/people/isadora-duncan- 9281125>.

2. Isadora Duncan Foundation. "About Isadora Duncan." About Isadora Duncan. 2012. 13 Feb. 2014 <http://www.isadoraduncan.org/the-foundation/about-isadora- duncan>.

3. Treva Bedinghaus. "Isadora Duncan." About.com Dance. 16 Feb. 2014 <http://dance.about.com/od/famousdancer1/p/Isadora-Duncan.htm>.