Isadora Duncan, You Wore Your Scarves Too Long!

I'm fascinated with the life of the "Mother of Modern Dance" -

San Francisco-born, (5/27/1877) Isadora Duncan.

I collect stuff about her. Lots of stuff.

I think she was lovely.

Here's the first video I ever bought, telling her life-story.

And what a life she had!

Vanessa Redgrave did a fabulous job in this film. But then, doesn't she always?!

Here's the first DVD I found... and had to have.

I'm actually waiting for two others to arrive in the mail! Early Christmas presents from me to me!! (I like shopping for 'me'. I always know what I want.)

And then there are the books! I love this one. It's such exciting stuff!

Getting into the mind of someone like that. Wow!

I even like this one.

When Isadora Duncan was a young child, her mother brought her for ballet lessons.

Isadora thought standing on her toes was ugly and against nature.

"I dreamed of a different dance", she later said.

Soon her mother found her teaching half a dozen babies, to wave their arms in the air.

She left home at seventeen performing the dance as she felt it, and inventing a natural style completely her own.

While some were horrified by Isadora's loose-fitting gowns and innovative technique, many more found her dancing exhilarating.

By the time of her death, she had a following of personally trained students and was revered as a performer throughout the Western world.

The older these books are, the better I like them.

This one was published in 1972.

This one, in 1969.

This one, in 1947!

This one was written by, Irma Duncan, one of six famous "Duncan Dancers", who appeared with Isadora in her performances, both in Europe and America. She was one of her pupils from the age of six, and remained with Isadora until the time of the latter's death.

At a young age, and with the dancer's consent, she adopted the name of "Duncan".

(I couldn't find a date of publication in this one.)

And here! Here is my favorite one!!

Written by Isadora, herself. The manuscript completed in 1927 - just months before her death!

I love, love, LOVE this book!!

Of course, I had to have this postcard too.

The lady loved 'flowing' things. Flowing fabrics, flowing gowns, flowing scarves.

Sadly, one of them caused her tragic death...

This is from Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_Duncan

Duncan's fondness for flowing scarves was the cause of her death in an automobile accident in Nice, France when she was passenger in an Amilcar, and her silk scarf, draped around her neck, became entangled around the open-spoked wheels and rear axle, breaking her neck.

What a sad, sad ending!

Since my business is painting silk scarves, that makes me really, really sad.

"Isadora, girl, you wore your scarves too long!" :(

"By dancing thus, and by witnessing such dances, people stay young. Anyone who dances as I do, can live to be one-hundred years old."

- Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 - Sept. 14, 1927)

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele