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Isadora Duncan (1877 - 1927)
One of the great pioneers of modern dance, Isadora Duncan was born Angela Duncan in San Francisco. Though her baptismal certificate is dated 1877, she always claimed to have been born one year later. The daughter of a music teacher, she early on rejected the more restricted movements of ballet and based her dance movements on more natural rhythms. When her first performances were not well received, she left at age 21 for England. Inspired by the movements displayed in classical Greek and Roman statues and frescoes she saw at the British Museum, Duncan began performing at private receptions, basing her costumes and movements on those of the nymphs of ancient mythology. Public performances soon followed and filled the seats whereever she appeared. While touring Russia in 1905, Duncan met Sergei Diaghilev, influencing his efforts to revive the declining art of ballet in Europe. She continued to tour the world, opening dance schools in Europe and the US. Though not married, Isadora had two children, a daughter by stage designer Gordon Craig and a son by sewing machine fortune heir Paris Singer. Both were drowned along with their nanny in 1913 when the car they were riding in overturned into the Seine in Paris, an event from which their mother never recovered. Isadora Duncan was also known for her lesbian affairs, especially Mercedes D'Acosta. In 1920 she opened a new dance school in Moscow, where she met Sergey Aleksandrovich Yesenin, a poet over fifteen years her junior. They were married in 1922 and went on a tour of the US, where she and her husband were attacked as Communist provacateurs. They left with Isadora vowing never to return to her homeland. Three years later, Sergei committed suicide. Disillusioned by the loss of her husband, the false promises of the revolution in Russia, the hostile treament she had received back home, and the decreasing success of her performances, Isadora Duncan retired to Nice, where she spent her final years. Her autobiography, My Life, was published in 1927. That same year, while riding in an open convertible, her long scarf became tangled in the rear axle of the car and she was strangled to death. Though villified by the more conservative elements of her day, she is now recognized for her great contributions to the art of dance. Links: San Francisco Museum: Isadora Duncan Isadora Duncan Foundation for Contemporary Dance Aint No Way to Go: Isadora Duncan Women in History - Isadora Duncan biography
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