Happy birthday, Isadora Duncan! May 27,1877.

Photo by Jacob Schloss. Apr.1898. New York Public Library

Poetry of motion.The sun, April 18, 1898

Isadora Duncan's appearances in Augustin Daly's stagings

As the first fairy in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Around 1895 Isadora joined the theater troupe "Augustin Daly's Company". Augustin Daly was a famous  stage director in America, his theater company was well known in Europe too. Also he was a drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, in other words he could be called a human-orchestra.

Isadora was hoping that Daly would develop her dancing career, arrenge her perfomances or put her dances in theater plays.But instead he offered the dancer a small  acting  part in pantomime "Miss Pigmalion",where the leading actress was a great french star of pantomime Jane May. The rehersal of the play was in New York, so she borrowed some money from her friends to buy tickets. In New New York her brothers and sister joined her, who decided that the fortune already made.This period of time wasn't easy for Isadora. During the rehersal,she wasn't receiving the salary, so she was often thrown out from pansions for non payment. Staging of "Miss Pigmalion"  didn't gain a success from audience. In her memoirs,Isadora said that after so much efforts, they gained  such miserable results. Besides, Jane May wasn't satisfied with Isadora's acting,so she always swore for this and others matters.  Isadora Duncan didn't find pantomime as an art, she thought about  its movements  in "Miss Pagamlion" as vulgar and silly that didn't conect to music,under which they were making.

Isadora Duncan's American tour with Augustin Daly's theatre company. The Sun Francisco Call, Sunday, May 10,1986.

      Ada Rehan's was an american actress of  the late 19th century. Her popularity grew from performances of Shakespeare and adaptations of European comedies.She joined Daly's company in 1879, in a short time became a leading lady and worked with Daly until his death.