Done into Dance: Isadora Duncan in America
Seventy-five
years after her death, Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) remains a subject of
popular fascination. The original "material girl," Duncan improvised
her legendary life as a pioneer of American modern dance. She regularly
reinvented herself for her devoted audiences, evolving from the youthful
nymph to the wartime Lady Liberty to the maturing tragic actress.
In this award-winning volume, Daly vividly recreates the choreographer’s life in her native America from a bohemian upbringing in northern California to her triumphant New York appearances to her disastrous final tour and exile. Done into Dance is the only book about Duncan that describes how she danced and accounts for her extraordinary popularity.
Duncan’s dancing earned her international fame and influenced generations of American girls and women. Yet the romantic myth of "Isadora"—which Duncan initiated and perpetuated—has left some questions unanswered: What did her audiences see on stage, and how did they respond? What dreams and fears of theirs did she play out? Why, in short, was Duncan’s dancing so compelling?
Done into Dance was named 1996 Outstanding Publication by the Congress on Research in Dance.
Originally published in 1995, Done into Dance is being reprinted by Wesleyan University Press. Publication is scheduled for August 2002.