Isadora Duncans New Dance Essay -- Essays Papers

Isadora Duncan's New Dance At the end of the 19th century, ballet was the most prominent form of dance. However, to Isadora Duncan, "ballet was the old order that needed to be overthrown, an embodied symbol of all that was wrong with oversymbolized 19th century living" (Daly 26). Duncan believed that the over-technical, over-standardization of ballet was not what dance should be about. Her vision of dance was one of emotions, ideas, social betterment, and the complete involvement of the body, mind, and soul (26). With these ideas in mind, she began to create a new form of dance; what she referred to as the "new dance" (23), and what is now known as modern dance. In creating this new dance, she was inspired by composers such as Beethoven, Nietzsche, and Wagner, writers like Walt Whitman, scientists Darwin and Haeckel, her Irish grandmother, and ancient Greek culture, as well as the spirit of America and its people (Duncan 48, 54). It was a combination of these influences that helped her to create the most expressive, soulful dance known today. Isadora Duncan was born in 1878 in San Francisco, CA. Her mother believed it was exceedingly important to surround Isadora and her siblings with art, music, Shakespeare, and poetry. This was Isadora's awakening to the arts (Terry 9). She trained in ballet as a young girl and was exposed to Delsartean principles that influenced her greatly later in life (12). In 1896, Isadora and her mother traveled to Chicago to further Isadora’s budding career. While there, she met Augustin Daly who then took her to New York and gave her roles in theater productions such as A Midsummer Night's Dream where she was first recognized by the press (25). While in New York she trained with ball... ...imed to suggest a particular character rather than an ideal type" (Daly 132). Duncan wrote extensively about dance, society, and art. She was part of the "lyrical left," a group of people who tried to spur cultural and political change. They "sought to fuse life and art, the personal and the political" (181). This political involvement and social criticism was especially evident towards the end of her career, whereas earlier in her career she focused more on issues having to deal with dance and children (179). Duncan had many beliefs on society, art, and the government, which she made sure to express clearly to her patrons. Overall, Isadora Duncan was an amazing and revolutionary person. She discovered intense emotions and a strong spirituality within herself, within her soul. She transformed her discoveries into a dance in order to share it with the world.