Isadora Duncan
Brighton Young
When Isadora first became famous, ballet was at its highest peak in entertainment. Theaters featured ballet show after ballet show with dramatic stage settings, perfect acquired lines, and love stories galore. Duncan brought something new to the table, her phrases consisted of walks and runs, skips and leaps; she wanted natural movement to be an art. She displayed freedom from the conventions of dance by being barefoot and having simple stage settings. In a time of despair she emphasized the connectedness of body and soul, and could say something meaningful through her movement more than any eloquent ballet ever could. More importantly, Isadora took risks, other artists from her time were struck by her audacity, painters, poets, and musicians admired her because she expressed herself, she didn’t follow the “social norm,” she was an icon of freedom and in this new beginning era that was more profound than anything. “… even in nature you find sure, even rigid design. Natural dancing should only mean that the dance never goes against nature, not that anything is left to chance” (Jowitt 76). Isadora’s main inspiration centered from the body’s natural ability. She would use elements from nature and the natural world to research if they complimented each other. She discovered water as her favorite natural source; the waves were calming and soothing. She thought about dance waves, sound waves, light waves… Waves in her dances pervade lines, gestures, and patterns. A whole dance was dedicated to this idea and entitled Water Study. On another note, gymnastics was a key element to Isadora. “I go each morning to a Swedish institute for gymnastics in order to keep alive” (Jowitt 78). She liked everything that gymnastics did for a dancer; it stressed flexibility, coordination, and balance, gymnastics promoted lightness and strong ankles. She thought gymnastics was such a priority; therefore, any school she ever opened, gymnastics was another daily part of any
When Isadora first became famous, ballet was at its highest peak in entertainment. Theaters featured ballet show after ballet show with dramatic stage settings, perfect acquired lines, and love stories galore. Duncan brought something new to the table, her phrases consisted of walks and runs, skips and leaps; she wanted natural movement to be an art. She displayed freedom from the conventions of dance by being barefoot and having simple stage settings. In a time of despair she emphasized the connectedness of body and soul, and could say something meaningful through her movement more than any eloquent ballet ever could. More importantly, Isadora took risks, other artists from her time were struck by her audacity, painters, poets, and musicians admired her because she expressed herself, she didn’t follow the “social norm,” she was an icon of freedom and in this new beginning era that was more profound than anything. “… even in nature you find sure, even rigid design. Natural dancing should only mean that the dance never goes against nature, not that anything is left to chance” (Jowitt 76). Isadora’s main inspiration centered from the body’s natural ability. She would use elements from nature and the natural world to research if they complimented each other. She discovered water as her favorite natural source; the waves were calming and soothing. She thought about dance waves, sound waves, light waves… Waves in her dances pervade lines, gestures, and patterns. A whole dance was dedicated to this idea and entitled Water Study. On another note, gymnastics was a key element to Isadora. “I go each morning to a Swedish institute for gymnastics in order to keep alive” (Jowitt 78). She liked everything that gymnastics did for a dancer; it stressed flexibility, coordination, and balance, gymnastics promoted lightness and strong ankles. She thought gymnastics was such a priority; therefore, any school she ever opened, gymnastics was another daily part of any
Cited: Jowitt, Deborah. "The Search for Motion." Time and the Dancing Image. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California, 1988. 69-102. Print.