October 22nd, 2009 by soullldiva

Doing some more studying the lovely Isadora Duncan, I discovered something new for myself. Isadora actually brought dance into the 20th century as true, pure, high-art form. Until that time, dance was either done in toe shoes, restricted in movement by technique, or on a vaudeville stage (or even possibly bar room).

“I have discovered the dance. I have discovered the art which has been lost for two thousand years.” Isadora Duncan

In 1909 Isadora moved to Paris and started a dance school where the mode was to dance barefoot with loose hair and dress in flowing scarves and Grecian-like tunics. She brought actual primitive, improvisational dance to the forefront–countering rigid ballet styles that she found to be “ugly and against nature.”

At the core of her technique was using the solar plexus and the torso (we would say “center” or “core” these days) as the point where all the body’s movements to come from. With this basic idea Isadora is said to have invented what is known as “Modern Dance.”

“Dance is the movement of the universe concentrated in an individual.” Isadora Duncan

Through her dance she demonstrated her defiance of the time and expressed her thought, opinions and feelings with poetic imagination and enthusiastic humor. Isadora sought not only to raise dance to a sacred art form, but to find poetry and beauty in everyday movement and life.

As a dancer who does a lot of improvisation and what I call “dancing from the heart,” I thank Isadora for her gift.

“My motto–sans limites” (without limits) Isadora Duncan