Isadora Duncan Quotes

A collection of quotes by Isadora Duncan.

Isadora Duncan was an American dancer and choreographer who is often regarded as the mother of modern dance. She was born on May 26, 1877, in San Francisco, California. Duncan's unconventional approach to dance challenged the rigid norms of classical ballet, emphasizing freedom of movement and self-expression.

Growing up in poverty after the deaths of her parents, Duncan found solace and inspiration in dance. She developed a unique style characterized by fluid, expressive movements and a deep connection to music. Rejecting the restrictive costumes of traditional dance, she often danced barefoot in simple, flowing garments.

In the early 20th century, Duncan relocated to Europe and gained international acclaim for her performances. She captivated audiences with her passion, power, and innovative choreography. Duncan drew inspiration from nature, Greek mythology, and her own emotions, blending them into captivating dance works.

Aside from her artistic achievements, Duncan was also a prominent advocate for social and political causes. She embraced feminism and challenged societal norms, often incorporating political themes into her performances. Her life was marked by personal tragedy, including the deaths of her two children in a tragic accident.

Isadora Duncan's impact on the world of dance and her pioneering spirit continue to inspire generations of dancers and choreographers to this day. She passed away on September 14, 1927, in an automobile accident in Nice, France, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the realm of modern dance.

Any intelligent woman who reads the marriage contract and th

Any intelligent woman who reads the marriage contract and then goes into it, deserves all the consequences.

Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make t

Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love - to love as Christ loved, as Buddha loved.

Now I am going to reveal to you something which is very pure

Now I am going to reveal to you something which is very pure, a totally white thought. It is always in my heart; it blooms at each of my steps... The Dance is love, it is only love, it alone, and that is enough... I, then, it is amorously that I dance: to poems, to music but now I would like to no longer dance to anything but the rhythm of my soul.

Music Love Soul Dance Rhythm

With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood.

With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood.

Mothersday

The only dance masters I could have were Jean-Jacques Rousse

The only dance masters I could have were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Walt Whitman and Nietzsche.

Dance Dancing

Virtuous people are simply those who have not been tempted s

Virtuous people are simply those who have not been tempted sufficiently, because they live in a vegetative state, or because their purposes are so concentrated in one direction that they have not had the leisure to glance around them.

Virtue

The real American type can never be a ballet dancer. The leg

The real American type can never be a ballet dancer. The legs are too long, the body too supple and the spirit too free for this school of affected grace and toe walking.

Dance Dancing

So long as little children are allowed to suffer, there is n

So long as little children are allowed to suffer, there is no true love in this world.

Children

So that ends my first experience of matrimony, which I alway

So that ends my first experience of matrimony, which I always thought a highly over-rated performance.

Marriage

People do not live nowadays. They get about 10% out of life.

People do not live nowadays. They get about 10% out of life.

Life

Perhaps he was a bit different from other people, but what r

Perhaps he was a bit different from other people, but what really sympathetic person is not a little mad?

Madness

It seems to me monstrous that anyone should believe that the

It seems to me monstrous that anyone should believe that the jazz rhythm expresses America. Jazz rhythm expresses the primitive savage.

Jazz

We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certai

We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws, ready to spring out at the first real opportunity.

Law

The finest inheritance you can give to a child is to allow i

The finest inheritance you can give to a child is to allow it to make its own way, completely on its own feet.

Children

Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make t

Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love --to love as Christ loved, as Buddha loved.

Love

The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of th

The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul.

Dance Dancing

We can see the Divine in each speck of dust, but that doesn'

We can see the Divine in each speck of dust, but that doesn't stop us from wiping it away with a wet sponge. The Divine doesn't disappear; it's transformed into the clean surface.

It has taken me years of struggle, hard work and research to

It has taken me years of struggle, hard work and research to learn to make one simple gesture, and I know enough about the art of writing to realize that it would take as many years of concentrated effort to write one simple, beautiful sentence.

Art

The first essential in writing about anything is that the wr

The first essential in writing about anything is that the writer should have no experience of the matter.

Experience

Before I was born my mother was in great agony of spirit and

Before I was born my mother was in great agony of spirit and in a tragic situation. She could take no food except iced oysters and champagne. If people ask me when I began to dance, I reply, In my mother's womb, probably as a result of the oysters and champagne - the food of Aphrodite.

Dance Dancing