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 dancing "Narcissus",Elvira Studio of Munich,1903.

Isadora Duncan's perfomances at the Solodovnik Theatre. Iskry magazine,1913.

The dances of Isadora Duncan

Isadora dancing with  her underage pets

Source:www.odin-fakt.ru

According to "Moscowskie starosty" Isadora Duncan's perfomance at the Solodovnik Theatre greatly disappointed the audience and,supposably, Duncan herself. The journalists called her dancing as "monotonous and viscous",also noting her plump figure and excessive nudity.

Happy New Year!

I wish  you all happiness,good celebration of this event,miracles and,of course, to create.

Isadora Duncan during photo session of her dancing,1916.

photo by Arnold Genthe

Affiche of Isadora Duncan's perfomances with her dance school at Champs Elysees theater.

picture by Antoine Bourdelle

Isadora Duncan with her pupils of Grunewald school during appearance in the Duke of York's Theater in London's West End,1908.