Isadora Brown Popular Books

Isadora Brown Biography & Facts

Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American-born dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in California, she lived and danced in Western Europe, the US and Soviet Russia from the age of 22. She died when her scarf became entangled in the wheel and axle of the car in which she was travelling in Nice, France. Early life Angela Isadora Duncan was born in San Francisco, the youngest of the four children of Joseph Charles Duncan (1819–1898), a banker, mining engineer and connoisseur of the arts, and Mary Isadora Gray (1849–1922). Her brothers were Augustin Duncan and Raymond Duncan; her sister, Elizabeth Duncan, was also a dancer. Soon after Isadora's birth, her father was found to have been using funds from two banks he had helped set up to finance his private stock speculations. Although he avoided prison time, Isadora's mother (angered over his infidelities as well as the financial scandal) divorced him, and from then on the family struggled with poverty. Joseph Duncan, along with his third wife and their daughter, died in 1898 when the British passenger steamer SS Mohegan ran aground off the coast of Cornwall.After her parents' divorce, Isadora's mother moved with her family to Oakland, California, where she worked as a seamstress and piano teacher. Isadora attended school from the ages of six to ten, but she dropped out, having found it constricting. She and her three siblings earned money by teaching dance to local children.In 1896, Duncan became part of Augustin Daly's theater company in New York, but she soon became disillusioned with the form and craved a different environment with less of a hierarchy. Work Duncan's novel approach to dance had been evident since the classes she had taught as a teenager, where she "followed [her] fantasy and improvised, teaching any pretty thing that came into [her] head". A desire to travel brought her to Chicago, where she auditioned for many theater companies, finally finding a place in Augustin Daly's company. This took her to New York City where her unique vision of dance clashed with the popular pantomimes of theater companies. While in New York, Duncan also took some classes with Marie Bonfanti but was quickly disappointed by ballet routine. Feeling unhappy and unappreciated in America, Duncan moved to London in 1898. She performed in the drawing rooms of the wealthy, taking inspiration from the Greek vases and bas-reliefs in the British Museum. The earnings from these engagements enabled her to rent a studio, allowing her to develop her work and create larger performances for the stage. From London, she traveled to Paris, where she was inspired by the Louvre and the Exposition Universelle of 1900 and danced in the salons of Marguerite de Saint-Marceaux and Princesse Edmond de Polignac. In France, as elsewhere, Duncan delighted her audience.In 1902, Loie Fuller invited Duncan to tour with her. This took Duncan all over Europe as she created new works using her innovative technique, which emphasized natural movement in contrast to the rigidity of traditional ballet. She spent most of the rest of her life touring Europe and the Americas in this fashion. Despite mixed reaction from critics, Duncan became quite popular for her distinctive style and inspired many visual artists, such as Antoine Bourdelle, Dame Laura Knight, Auguste Rodin, Arnold Rönnebeck, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, and Abraham Walkowitz, to create works based on her.In 1910, Duncan met the occultist Aleister Crowley at a party, an episode recounted by Crowley in his Confessions. He refers to Duncan as "Lavinia King", and used the same invented name for her in his 1929 novel Moonchild (written in 1917). Crowley wrote of Duncan that she "has this gift of gesture in a very high degree. Let the reader study her dancing, if possible in private than in public, and learn the superb 'unconsciousness' – which is magical consciousness – with which she suits the action to the melody." Crowley was, in fact, more attracted to Duncan's bohemian companion Mary Dempsey (a.k.a. Mary D'Este or Desti), with whom he had an affair. Desti had come to Paris in 1901 where she soon met Duncan, and the two became inseparable. Desti, who also appeared in Moonchild (as "Lisa la Giuffria") and became a member of Crowley's occult order, later wrote a memoir of her experiences with Duncan.In 1911, the French fashion designer Paul Poiret rented a mansion – Pavillon du Butard in La Celle-Saint-Cloud – and threw lavish parties, including one of the more famous grandes fêtes, La fête de Bacchus on June 20, 1912, re-creating the Bacchanalia hosted by Louis XIV at Versailles. Isadora Duncan, wearing a Greek evening gown designed by Poiret, danced on tables among 300 guests; 900 bottles of champagne were consumed until the first light of day. Opening schools of dance Duncan disliked the commercial aspects of public performance, such as touring and contracts, because she felt they distracted her from her real mission, namely the creation of beauty and the education of the young. To achieve her mission, she opened schools to teach young women her philosophy of dance. The first was established in 1904 in Berlin-Grunewald, Germany. This institution was the birthplace of the "Isadorables" (Anna, Maria-Theresa, Irma, Liesel, Gretel, and Erika), Duncan's protégées who would continue her legacy. Duncan legally adopted all six girls in 1919, and they took her last name. After about a decade in Berlin, Duncan established a school in Paris that soon closed because of the outbreak of World War I. In 1914, Duncan moved to the United States and transferred her school there. A townhouse on Gramercy Park was provided for its use, and its studio was nearby, on the northeast corner of 23rd Street and Fourth Avenue (now Park Avenue South). Otto Kahn, the head of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., gave Duncan use of the very modern Century Theatre at West 60th Street and Central Park West for her performances and productions, which included a staging of Oedipus Rex that involved almost all of Duncan's extended entourage and friends. During her time in New York, Duncan posed for studies by the photographer Arnold Genthe. Duncan had planned to leave the United States in 1915 aboard the RMS Lusitania on its ill-fated voyage, but historians believe her financial situation at the time drove her to choose a more modest crossing. In 1921, Duncan's leftist sympathies took her to the Soviet Union, where she founded a school in Moscow. However, the Soviet government's failure to follow through on promises to support her work caused her to return to the West and leave the school to her protégée Irma. In 1924, Duncan composed a dance routine called Varshavianka to the tune of the Polish revolutionary song known in English as Whirlwinds of Danger. Philosophy and technique Breaking with conv.... Discover the Isadora Brown popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Isadora Brown books.

Best Seller Isadora Brown Books of 2024

  • Rogue Academic synopsis, comments

    Rogue Academic

    Isadora Brown

    Lara Turner wants nothing to do with Godslayer Academy.After her father and hundreds of other innocents were massacred in a small Midwestern town by the gods themselves, an eccentr...

  • Falling Over You synopsis, comments

    Falling Over You

    Isadora Brown

    True love is complicatedShe wasn't supposed to see him, hear him, or feel him because he was dead a ghost. She wasn't supposed to fall in love with him because she was engaged.Lar...

  • Nightshade synopsis, comments

    Nightshade

    Isadora Brown

    Now that Stephanie Guzman was out of the picture, investigative journalist Lara Tucker is ready to have a normal life. She joins a gym and starts taking selfdefense, she starts dat...

  • Rogue Charade synopsis, comments

    Rogue Charade

    Isadora Brown

    What more could Robert be hiding? Lara intends to find out.With the start of a new semester, Lara is thrust right back into Godslayer Academy. This time, she's alone.She still does...

  • Rogue Demonstration synopsis, comments

    Rogue Demonstration

    Isadora Brown

    Everything has been leading up to this moment.After months of work, Lara Turner and Robert Lannister will debut the first piece of technology that's going to defend the world if th...

  • Goddess Unboxed synopsis, comments

    Goddess Unboxed

    Isadora Brown

    With the Box and her sister both gone, Pandora needs answers, and quickly.Zeus demands Pandora and Apollo work together to find the Box. Pandora's focus is her sister and proving S...

  • Academy of Peculiars Box Set synopsis, comments

    Academy of Peculiars Box Set

    Isadora Brown

    With over 200,000 words and 3 fulllength novels, get your collection of the entire Academy of Peculiar all in one place!Stranger Book 1Sophie Harper has a secret. A pecul...

  • Hunter synopsis, comments

    Hunter

    Isadora Brown

    Missing girls. No leads. Betrayal on a grand scale.The last thing Brielle Morales expects as a Seeker at Zodiac Academy is fitting in with ease. She's always been quiet and awkward...

  • Keeper synopsis, comments

    Keeper

    Isadora Brown

    Danger lurks in the most familiar places.When General Arbuckle reveals the peculiar existence to the world, the Academy of Peculiars is forced to close as a way to protect the facu...

  • Defy the Void synopsis, comments

    Defy the Void

    Isadora Brown

    Now that she's a married woman, Kara is ready to get what she came forThe wedding is done. Consummation has taken place. The marriage between Kara and Keaton is official.And now, K...

  • Killing By Captivation synopsis, comments

    Killing By Captivation

    Isadora Brown

    He told her he was there to protect her, but she would later learn that he was the most dangerous demon she would ever meet.As a demon, the only thing Paul wants is his freedom. In...

  • Finder synopsis, comments

    Finder

    Isadora Brown

    Those that aren't lost can't be found.After the ordeal at the underground Catalina nightclub, Sophie Harper is ready to forget about everything. She's going to Washington in order ...

  • Sacrifice synopsis, comments

    Sacrifice

    Isadora Brown

    What do you risk when you have nothing to lose?Nothing, apparently, given that Keirah has no qualms showing up at Andie's doorstep, asking Jack if she can borrow his resources in o...

  • Bound to the Void synopsis, comments

    Bound to the Void

    Isadora Brown

    Unable to push it back any further, Kara must marry Keaton if she wants any information about her lost brotherKara Darling never thought she'd find herself getting married to a hea...

  • Rogue Captor synopsis, comments

    Rogue Captor

    Isadora Brown

    Now that Riella has made her move, it's time for Lara and Robert to do something about it.With the threat of the jealous goddess looming, they both know they must act before it's t...

  • Moonshade synopsis, comments

    Moonshade

    Isadora Brown

    The second investigative journalist Lara Tucker lays eyes on Ken Brown, she has more questions than answers and he's willing to share for a price.Lycan Jon Hawkins doesn't trust K...

  • Stranger synopsis, comments

    Stranger

    Isadora Brown

    An unusual power. A dead body. Nowhere to turn.By the time she gets to the Academy for Peculiars, Sophie Harper has already killed a man. The superhuman strength she was born with ...

  • Surrender the Void synopsis, comments

    Surrender the Void

    Isadora Brown

    Twentyyearold orphan Kara Darling will do anything to find her missing brother, even break into the crypt of one of the most dangerous heathens. The last thing she expects is to me...

  • Rogue Investigation synopsis, comments

    Rogue Investigation

    Isadora Brown

    There's a traitor at Godslayer Academy but no one knows who it isThe only thing Lara Darling can think to do is hire an unstable but skilled private investigator in order to discov...

  • Falling For the Devil synopsis, comments

    Falling For the Devil

    Isadora Brown

    Her uncle sold her soul for wealth... and as she spends more time with her captor, she realizes that she doesn't exactly want it back anymore.Harleen Campbell is a typical high sch...

  • Goddess Unexpected synopsis, comments

    Goddess Unexpected

    Isadora Brown

    Now that the Box has been opened, it's now or neverPandora is desperate to find her sister. Not only does she plan to prove Seph's innocence, but she needs to make sure Seph is saf...

  • Discover the Void synopsis, comments

    Discover the Void

    Isadora Brown

    The clock is ticking down to Kara's wedding to a wicked heathen Kara Darling still isn't sure she wants to marry Keaton, the most dangerous heathen in her realm and his.Which...

  • Seeker synopsis, comments

    Seeker

    Isadora Brown

    An undercover operation. Dark, deadly secrets. No one to trust.Brielle Morales still can't look at herself in the mirror. After the fallout from General Arbuckle's attack on the Ac...

  • Rogue Betrayal synopsis, comments

    Rogue Betrayal

    Isadora Brown

    She made her choice; now, she has to live with the consequences Lara Turner gets more than she bargained for after her clandestine meeting with a private investigator everyone...

  • The Shadows of Wonderland Box Set Books 4-6 synopsis, comments

    The Shadows of Wonderland Box Set Books 4-6

    Isadora Brown

    With nearly 200,000 words, this second box set delves deeper into the magic and mystery of Wonderland!Now that Alice knows what she's capable of, she wants answers. Answers about h...

  • Bloodshade synopsis, comments

    Bloodshade

    Isadora Brown

    Investigative journalist Lara Tucker is not new to risking her life for a story. She's stared serial killers in the face, exposed corrupt politicians without blinking, and even mad...

  • Goddess Undone synopsis, comments

    Goddess Undone

    Isadora Brown

    Pandora wants nothing more than to be a Watcher. Even if that means dealing with an unsupportive mother, a sleazy trainer, and mental and physical challenges most never surpass.But...