Isadora Duncan at her Bellevue school,France,apr.1914. Agence de presse Meurisse

Isadora Duncan's second school in France.

In 1914 Isadora Duncan, with the help of Paris Singer, founded the school in Paris. It was her second try to teach children her art and to make them harmonious developed people. Her previous school was in German,Grunewald,which she headed with her sister Elizabeth. But,mostly,due to financial problems and Elizabeth's plan of opening her own school , it was closed. Isadora hoped to spend the rest of her days at Bellevue and to leave as a legacy the result of her work. With the help of her senior students, brother and some friends, she selected 20- 30 children from different countries.
In biography she didn't write in details about school regime and teaching. So, to understand better what the school represented, the best illustation would give the memoir of actrees Elsa Lanchester,who was Duncan's student for a short time, "Elsa Lanchester herself'":
 
  When I was about eleven, Raymond Duncan told Biddy that his sister, Isadora Duncan, was opening a school for talented children in Paris - “ To Teach the World to Dance." All expenses would be paid. I was a chosen child, one of about twenty in the world-lsadora's world.

The school building at Bellevue had been given to Isadora Duncan by a very wealthy gentleman called Paris Singer, of the Singer Sewing Machine family. Bellevue had been a large hotel with 150 bedrooms. It was still furnished in the manner of the nineteenth century,with brass bedsteads glittering with knobs that we would all screw on and off during idle hours and on wet days. We each had our individual grand suite with vast black-and-white tiled bathrooms with bidets. After getting over the shock of what a bidet was for, we children had a lot of fun with our miniature Versailles.

Isadora Duncan's students selecting russian children for school in France

Lisa,Irma,Anna,unknown girl,Theresa

In April 1914 Isadora Duncan's elder students Irma.Anna,Lisa and Teresa,accompanied by Isadora's brother Augustine, came to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to select 10 children of both gender for her new school in France. They remained there for 2 months,giving few performances and choosing the most gifted candidats among the russian kids. On April 20 they began the selection, for 7 days teaching the candidats such basic elements as running,walking,leaping.

One of the demonstrative lessons at Isadora Duncan's dance school. New Yorrk Tribute, March 29, 1915.

Elsa Lancaster talks about Isadora Duncan

   

Interview with Anna Duncan. New York Tribure, April 11, 1915.

 

Russian publicist,philosopher Vasily Rozanov about visiting Isadora Duncan

I visited Isadora Duncan. As it should be expected , she is not childless. At my request to give a portrait during goodbye,she shook her had ("no") and, taking off the table,showed me a portrait of two kids, almost naked, in marvelous classical  poses."Only".On the one photo - she is with children. On the other two - children in different poses.
               

           

Isadora Duncan in her Paris school, Bellevue