![]() Known as the “Mother of Modern Dance,” Isadora Duncan was a self-styled revolutionary whose influence spread from American to Europe and Russia, creating a sensation everywhere she performed. Then, in a flood of memories, the child comes running back-visible only to her-and they engage in a poignant tussle, the mother tenderly gathering in the spirit and releasing it, the tiny ghost abandoning her again and again.Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) was an American pioneer of dance and is an important figure in both the arts and history. With what reluctance does she leave the flowers there! Turning back, she hesitates. The subtlety of Belilove’s expression convinces us we are witnessing a private moment, as, cradling a bouquet of lilies, she approaches the grave. The highlight of the program’s second half, as always, is the solo recalling Isadora’s tragedy. Dancing to a funereal chorus from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, the dancers form a blind procession, their eyes downcast yet soon they return to the world of the living, and, as if on cue, the sun emerges from behind a cloud to bathe their upturned faces. What distinguishes Isadora’s attitude from ours today is that in her world, even after the Great War, the shadow is never allowed to triumph. Quoting from a letter the choreographer wrote to her students, Belilove reminds us that Isadora hoped her pupils would spread “a glow over this sad earth” (emphasis added). These selections appear overwhelmingly joyous, but shadows are not absent from this repertoire. When, D’Angelo returns, the women waltz together in a half-circle, leading each other by the fingers ever-so daintily. ![]() Then she drops her casual air to strike a pose, and, in a sudden metamorphosis, she turns to marble. Rose appears alternately shy and bold in her solo, “Moment Musical,” adding a sweeping folk-dance gesture. They attend to woodland murmurs, and fling an arm above their heads thrown back in ecstasy. In “Narcissus,” D’Angelo and Rose stir the water of an invisible pool. When the women awake and begin to romp, they give themselves fully to the moment bringing the simple gestures alive. ![]() They lay their bodies dreamily on the ground. In the first dance, the women lift their arms softly, and then, seated, they trail one hand in an imaginary brook. While most of the dances on this program are “legacy” works, handed down from Isadora to her pupils, others have been choreographed by Belilove “in the style of” Isadora. Atop each pair of columns, a stone Sphinx sits on her haunches gazing at the view beyond: a flowering pond and a canal flanked by luxuriant greenery. Behind the semi-circular performance space, half mosaic floor and half grassy lawn, stand two pairs of Ionic columns. Emily D’Angelo, Faith Kimberling, Hayley Rose, and Caroline Yamada drift onto the scene of Untermyer Gardens’ miniature Greek Theater, turning to admire their surroundings with expressions of wonder. Where is her like today?įor Duncan dancers, the world appears eternally fresh and beautiful. ![]() Isadora defied the rise of the Machine Age to return to nature and, when a machine killed her small children, she found the strength to pick herself up and bravely continue waltzing. We should heed the example of Isadora, who shed the false morality oppressing 19 th-century women and identified with the struggling masses. Now, more than ever, we need this courage. ![]() Lori Belilove and the Isadora Duncan Dance Company photo by John Link ![]()
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