Isadora Duncan is an American icon even though she died as a Soviet citizen. She was born Angela Isadora Duncan on Taylor Street in San Francisco, CA, USA and lived and danced her way across the world while promoting and propagating her then new form of expressive dancing that has now become known as modern dance. She was unconventional, nonconforming, liberal and radical.
She was from a prosperous family until her banker father was disgraced in scandal and divorced Isadora's mother. She and her sisters and mother began teaching dance to neighbors to make a living. Even as a child, Isadora Duncan's uninhibited style of dance was provocative and shocked those of more conventional, ballet-style dance ideals. Isadora was compelled to include natural body flow and movements into her dance style. Jumping, skipping, hopping in free-formed manner were keystones to Isadora's dances.
She was thwarted in her efforts to promote her dance methods in the USA, so she traveled to Europe as a young adult and found a dance company where she could begin incorporating her modern movements into their repertoire. Eventually leaving due to "creative differences" she eventually found a following of disciples, mostly her cousins, who embraced her view of modern dance and who ultimately perpetuated her free form style into what we now consider modern dance.
Her personal live was as shocking as her dancing. Isadora was liberal in her views of dance as she was on her political and personal views. She had several children both out of wedlock and in, some of which died in a tragic drowning accident. She was sympathetic toward the Soviets during their communist revolutionary struggles. Isadora set up a dance studio in Russia but it closed due to the revolution. She eventually gained Soviet citizenship, denouncing her American heritage, and showing her support for communism. When she died, she became the first known Soviet citizen to have her will probated within the USA.
Her death was as dramatic as her lifestyle. During a romantic tryst, she was driving in a car with open axel wheels. Isadora had a penchant for wearing long flowing scarves around her head and neck. While driving away from a party of remaining friends on a short trip, her red scarf became caught in the back wheel's spokes and axel and she was strangled to death and her neck was broken by her scarf wrapping around the wheel and axel!
Her birthplace was in the building found at 501 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA. Her burial place is in the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France.
The plaque is on the front facade of the Geary Taylor Hotel Apartments at 501 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA. It is on the proper left side of the entrance into the building. The marker reads as follows:
"Isadora Duncan
1878-1927
Daughters of California Pioneers
America's Genius of the Dance
was born on this site
She created a new art form.
Liberating the dance as an expression
of Life. She believed and taught that
'no education is complete without the
dance' since 'movements are as
eloquent as words.' 'The dancer of
the future ... shall dance the freedom
of women ... the highest intelligence
in the freewst body' ... 'the dancer
will not belong to a nation but to
all humanity.'"
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