Knowra Isadora Duncan Isadora Duncan Isadora Duncan was an American dancer and choreographer who rejected ballet conventions, shaping modern dance through expressive movement inspired by nature and ancient Greek art.
Classical ballet : A formal theatrical dance tradition built on codified technique, turned-out positions, and pointe work. Duncan rejected its rigid technique and pointe shoes in favor of freer, grounded movement.
Solar plexus : A network of nerves behind the stomach, also used figuratively as a center of bodily feeling. Duncan described movement as beginning from an inner impulse associated with the solar plexus.
Elizabeth Duncan : An American educator and dance teacher, and the elder sister of Isadora Duncan. Elizabeth helped promote and teach the Duncan approach, extending the sisters' influence in Europe.
Isadorables : The group of young women trained by Isadora Duncan who performed her choreography. The Isadorables brought Duncan's choreographic style to audiences and helped sustain it.
Ruth St. Denis : An American modern dancer and choreographer who drew on Asian and Middle Eastern performance traditions. St. Denis developed a distinct modern-dance path in the same period Duncan challenged ballet.
Ancient Greek dance : Dance practices of ancient Greek societies, known through texts, images, and archaeological evidence. Duncan imagined Greek movement as a source for natural, expressive choreography.
Expressive movement : Movement shaped to communicate emotion, character, or ideas rather than reproduce a fixed pattern alone. Her dances made expressive movement the organizing principle of choreography.
Gordon Craig : An English theatre practitioner known for experimental stage design and directing. Craig and Duncan had a personal and artistic relationship and a son, Deirdre.
Duncan Dance School : A dance school founded by Isadora Duncan in Germany in 1904. The school turned Duncan's movement philosophy into a teaching practice for young dancers.
Ted Shawn : An American dancer and choreographer who co-founded Denishawn with Ruth St. Denis. Shawn and St. Denis built an influential school within the modern-dance movement Duncan helped precede.
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