Isadora Duncan~

Name: Isadora Duncan Type of activity: Dancer Date of birth: May 27, 1877 Date of death: September 14, 1927 Place of birth: San Francisco, USA Place of death: Nice Zodiac sign: Twins

Isadora Duncan was an American dancer, the founder of a dance system and style based on ancient Greek dance. She was the greatest dancer in the world and the wife of Sergei Yesenin.

Isadora Duncan remains in history as the most beautiful and captivating dancer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She created the free, or as it's also called, erotic dance, which no one has ever been able to replicate. Often, dazzling success and talent come at a price, and that price can be so high as to far outweigh the fame and popularity that come with success. Isadora paid a very high price; she never found happiness in her personal life, outlived her children, and died a senseless, tragic death.

Isadora Duncan's birthplace is the American state of California. It was there, in the city of San Francisco, on May 27, 1877, that the future brilliant dancer was born. Isadora was her stage name; she was born Dora Angela Duncan.

The girl's father was named Joseph Duncan, and he was a banker and mining engineer. He successfully pulled off a banking scam, took all the family's money, and disappeared in an unknown direction. His pregnant wife, Mary Dora Gray, was left alone, without money, but with three small children. The woman was very upset about her husband's betrayal, and the pregnancy was also taking its toll. She felt nauseous from any food; the only things she could eat were oysters and chilled champagne. When Isadora became a famous dancer, she was often asked when she started her dance career. In response, she joked that her first attempts were in her mother's womb, as that's how she reacted to oysters washed down with champagne.

At the time of Isadora's birth, her mother was raising two older sons, Raymond and Augustine (Augustin), and a daughter, Elizabeth. The childhood of the future great dancer cannot be called happy. Her mother barely made ends meet, trying to raise four children on her own. In addition, she had to fend off investors defrauded by her husband, who often held rallies under the windows of their apartment. But she was a strong woman, not easily broken. She promised herself that she would give her children a normal upbringing, provide for them, and raise them to be decent people. She was a professional musician, earning a living by giving private music lessons, which she took on more and more. The lessons took up all her time, and the children did not receive the necessary attention, especially little Dora.

To prevent the little girl from being left alone at home for long periods, she was sent to school at the age of five, with her real date of birth concealed from the teachers. Isadora never forgot those negative moments of school life, when she felt lonely alongside her older, wealthy classmates. She felt uncomfortable and despondent, but fate gave her no choice. There were good moments, too, though sadly, very few. During the day, Mom worked with her students, and in the evenings she could pay attention to her own children. She played classical music for them, read Shakespeare, trying to ignite in their little hearts a love for the world of art. These moments brought the family very close together; they became a true Duncan family clan, capable of withstanding any world adversity if necessary.

Isadora Duncan's creative biography began at the age of six. That's when little Dora and her older sister Elizabeth started giving dance lessons to the neighborhood children. Years later, Duncan would create her own dance schools around the world, but for now, she taught others the beauty and plasticity of movement. At the age of 10, Dora began earning money from dance lessons. Besides teaching children, she invented many unusual and beautiful movements. This was the beginning of a new dance style, incredible and inimitable. The girl became interested in men very early. She wasn't a precocious little nymphomaniac; she was simply very amorous. Her first choice was a warehouse worker named Vernon. She was only 11 at the time, but she showed unusual persistence towards her object of affection. She desperately wanted the man's attention, and the little girl's behavior simply terrified the adult man. Not knowing what to do, he lied, saying he was engaged to another girl and that his wedding was soon to take place. Only then did Dora leave him alone. It was a childish, naive infatuation, but such persistence and determination towards a man could indicate that in the future she would achieve her goals by any means necessary. Duncan attended school reluctantly. She didn't like studying, although she had good abilities. The fact was, she was simply bored there. She tried to skip classes and spent long hours wandering along the coast, listening to the sound of the surf. During these moments, ideas for dance movements were born in her head, movements as light and free as the sea and wind. At thirteen, the girl dropped out of school, justifying it by saying that education was useless and that excellent results in life could be achieved without it.

Now she could seriously pursue music and dance, and initially rehearsed on her own. But fate had a real gift in store for her – an acquaintance with the famous American dancer and actress Loïe Fuller, who invented and developed modern dance.

Loïe took on the task of teaching the talented Duncan, and they quickly began performing together. For several years, Isadora stayed close to her mentor, but at 18 she decided to pursue a solo career and moved to Chicago. Isadora Duncan's creative career began in nightclubs, where she performed dance routines. The audience saw her as a bizarre exotic figure, as she danced barefoot, wearing only a short ancient Greek chiton. The audience was shocked by the young dancer's performances. Her movements were sensual and delicate, impossible to take your eyes off during the entire performance. The audience lingered long after the performance, everyone was in a kind of stupor after what they had seen. Such short outfits were unheard of at that time, it was excessive even for America, which was considered a driver of progress. And, despite this, Duncan was never called vulgar or lewd; her dance was the embodiment of grace, lightness, and freedom. The performances brought in a good income, and soon Isadora was able to afford to go to Europe to find new fans of her art there.

In 1903, the entire Duncan family moved to Greece. A year later, the young woman conquered Munich, Berlin, and Vienna. The dancer's popularity in Europe grew at an incredible rate.

In 1904, she first visited St. Petersburg. After that, she visited Russia many times, where millions of fans awaited her. The dancer achieved maximum success, earning a decent amount, but she never amassed great wealth. Duncan invested all her earnings in opening new dance schools around the world. Sometimes she ran out of money, even for necessities, and then her friends helped her out.

As is well known, Isadora's first love was a pharmacist named Vernon, whom she idolized at the age of 11. After he rejected her, Duncan paid no attention to anyone for six years; her life was dedicated solely to dance, work, and her career. She didn't think about romantic entanglements.

But at seventeen, her personal life was filled with every possible emotion – love, happiness, disappointment, pain, and tragedy. She never embraced marriage; the dancer preferred free love. Her life was too turbulent; she changed lovers like gloves, sleeping with old and young, single and married, poor and rich, talented, beautiful, or those with no particular features at all. While working in Chicago nightclubs, the young woman fell in love with Ivan Mirotsky, an immigrant from Poland. He was far from handsome, a red-haired, bearded, little-known artist. But Isadora was impressed by his strong feelings for her, and she reciprocated, despite the 29-year age difference between them. Their romance lasted a year and a half; they often met, strolled in the woods, and kissed. Everything foreshadowed an imminent wedding; the lovers had even set a date, but the dancer's brother learned that the artist had a wife in Europe. This was the first serious blow for Isadora, and she suffered for a long time over the breakup with her beloved. To cope with the shock, Duncan left the States.

Next, Oscar Berezh, a twenty-five-year-old unsuccessful actor, appeared in the girl's personal life. And again, disappointment. Oscar was offered a new contract with favorable terms, he dumped Duncan and left for Spain to film. Four years later, Gordon Craig, a theatrical director, appeared in her life. Isadora became pregnant by him, and a daughter was soon born. But a family life didn't work out; he abandoned her and the child and married an old acquaintance.

Isadora's next partner was Paris Singer, whose ancestors were famous for inventing the sewing machine. He was very eager to meet her, and after one of her performances he came to the dancer's dressing room. This relationship also did not culminate in a legal marriage, although they had a son.

Isadora possessed a unique gift of premonition regarding imminent death. She received certain signs from nature, by which she could unerringly determine that someone in her close circle would soon depart this world. In 1913, Duncan woke up at night from terrifying visions. She lost sleep and peace, she heard the sounds of a funeral march everywhere and saw small coffins. The woman understood that she would soon go mad from worrying about her daughter and son. Isadora tried to make their lives as safe as possible, so she took her common-law husband and children and settled in the small town of Versailles.

One day she took the children with her to Paris; she needed to stay for an urgent matter, and Isadora decided it would be better if the chauffeur took the governess and the children to Versailles. On the way, the car stalled, the driver got out to see what was wrong, and at that moment the car fell into the Seine. The children drowned. Duncan's depression is impossible to put into words. But when the driver was put on trial, she defended him because he was also a father of young children. The woman turned into a stone, she didn't cry and didn't allow anyone to talk about what happened. During one of her walks along the river, she saw her son and daughter holding hands. Isadora screamed so loudly that she began to have a hysterical fit. A young man passing by tried to help her, and she turned to him with a strange request. Duncan asked a complete stranger to give her a child, only in this did the woman see her salvation. This relationship turned out to be fleeting, but nevertheless, the dancer gave birth to a child who died a few days later.

In 1921, the weary Isadora met the love of her life. It was the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, and their romance blossomed on their first meeting. She fell in love with him immediately, despite being 18 years older. They married in 1922; this was Duncan's first registered relationship. Sergei loved her passionately and madly, expressing his delight and admiration for her. They traveled around Europe and America, experiencing true happiness, which, unfortunately, did not last long. He didn't speak English, and Isadora knew literally three dozen words in Russian. However, communication difficulties weren't the only thing that destroyed the idyllic relationship. In his homeland, Yesenin was a recognized poet, while abroad he was perceived solely as the husband of the great dancer. The passion subsided, and eternal love didn't happen. In 1924, Yesenin returned to his homeland, and Duncan continued to love her poet. Yesenin died in 1925, and Isadora lost another loved one.

Isadora lived life at breakneck speed. She loved speed, she loved cars; they became an obsession for her. Not even the death of her children in a car accident stopped her. She herself was involved in countless accidents, but she wasn't afraid to get behind the wheel and race again. It was a kind of game – who would win. The end of this race came on September 14, 1927, in Nice. Isadora lost. That day she was going on a date with yet another lover – Benoît Falchetto. He was driving his sports car, and Isadora was the passenger. She was wearing a long red shawl, the edge of which hung over the side of the car. No one noticed that it had caught on the rear wheel axle. Her lover suddenly accelerated, the shawl tightened, and in a matter of seconds it broke her neck. She died instantly; the doctors only had to pronounce her dead. Isadora Duncan's body was cremated, and her ashes rest in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in France.

1. In 1895 the family moved to Chicago. Duncan worked in the theater and performed in night clubs.
2. Since 1899 she performed in London.
3. In 1901 she joined L. Fuller's troupe in Paris.
4. Duncan's first major public success came after a performance in Budapest on April 19, 1902.
5. Opened dance schools in Germany (1904), France (1909).
6. She often performed in Moscow and St. Petersburg (1905–1913).
7. In 1921, at the invitation of the Soviet government, Duncan came to Moscow, where she opened a dance school.
8. In 1922 she married S. A. Yesenin and accepted Soviet citizenship.
9. In 1924 she left Russia forever.
10. Isadora Duncan called herself a "red" and a "Marxist".
11. Isadora Duncan died on September 14, 1927 at the age of 50.
12. Isadora Duncan was of Irish descent.
13. Isadora Duncan renounced Sergei Yesenin's inheritance in favor of his mother and sisters.
14. Isadora Duncan's birth name was Angela.
15. Isadora Duncan was called the "divine barefoot". She was also called the "living embodiment of the soul of dance" and "Terpsichore".

1. The desire for freedom. Through art, she wanted to express her ideas, which included the emancipation of women and freedom of movement.
2. Spontaneity and simplicity. Duncan believed that pointe shoes, corsets and tutus interfered with dancing, and performed barefoot in a light tunic.
3. Improvisation. In her compositions she used the music of L. van Beethoven, K. V. Gluck, F. Chopin, F. Schubert, P. I. Tchaikovsky, as well as melodies of revolutionary songs.