Isadora Duncan

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the life of the artist, dancer and teacher Isadora Duncan born in 1878 and discusses her contribution to American dance. It examines how Isadora Duncan is largely credited with establishing what we now know as modern dance and how she infused the accepted dance modalities of her day with ideas old and new. It analyzes how Duncan's attitudes and approaches came from her native America and how these ideas involved a stress upon unfettered athleticism for both men and women. Duncan wished to develop the body's capacity for jumping, stretching and expressing emotions rather than pure excellence and form in isolation.

From the Paper:

"Thus, although she lived and traveled extensively in Europe, it is important to remember Duncan's origins in the United States and subsequent influence upon American dance's cavalier attitude towards formulaic traditions. "Born in 1878 in San Francisco, Isadora Duncan grew up in a childhood filled with imagination and art. Her mother introduced her four children (Isadora was youngest) to classical music, as well as Shakespeare, poetry, literature and art. Isadora spent many hours playing and dancing upon the beach, and even taught dance classes to younger children as a way to earn a little extra money for the struggling family. In her teenage years, Isadora traveled to Chicago and New York with some of her family members, working and performing in various productions such as Mme. Pygmalion, Midsummer's Night Dream or vaudeville shows with limited success."

More papers on Isadora Duncan:

• Essay # 105868 : "The Life of Isadora Duncan"
• Essay # 23165 : "Isadora Duncan:A Pioneer of Dance"
• Analytical Essay # 65997 : "Isadora Duncan's "My Life"

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