Isadora Duncan: movement from the soul

This documentary portrait traces the life and artistic development of the “Mother of Modern Dance”—San Francisco-born Isadora Duncan (1877-1927). Set against the social tapestry of turn-of-the-century America and Europe, the film is a study of a revolutionary and iconoclast, a woman who dared to defy Victorian mores through both her art and the way she lived. Duncan raised dance from mere vaudeville entertainment to a legitimate art form, laying the foundation for today’s modern dance. The first American performing artist to gain worldwide acclaim, she dared to use her medium for political purposes: creating the first choreography to call people to arms, to express the plight of repressed workers, and to agitate for the freedom of women. The film interweaves the details of Isadora Duncan’s tumultuous life with re-creations of twelve of her dances from her early lyrical compositions to her later dramatic and politically motivated work. Based on the writings and speeches of Isadora Duncan. Dancers, Madeleine Lytton, Lori Belilove, Members of Oakland Ballet. Narrated by Julie Harris.