Isadora Duncan, born on May 26, 1877 in San Francisco, California, was a founder of modern dance. Her style emphasizes natural movement and flow. Her main source of inspiration was ancient Greece.

After her father left the family, Isadora’s mother, Dora, moved them to Oakland. Isadora got her artistic start in Oakland. During her childhood, Isadora attended public school until she dropped out of school at the age of ten with her older sister to become a dance teacher. Having left school, she was also taught by the poet Ina Coolbrith. She ridiculed ballet as “affected grace and toe walking” (“Isadora Duncan”).

After childhood, she left California and spent the rest of her life in the Midwest, on the East Coast, and in Europe teaching herself and others how to dance.

Isadora first danced professionally in Chicago and New York City, but the people there didn’t like her style and rejected her way of dancing. There was no easily accessible record of Isadora dancing in Oakland, California specifically since her performances had taken place on the East Coast and in Europe. She left for Europe when she was twenty-two and danced in the parlors of the wealthy, and soon she was able to afford her own studio. Her next performance in the Bay Area was in 1917 in San Francisco.

Haunts:

  • First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612 – She had one of her first dance performances at the church. At the time, it was right next to downtown Oakland and located in a well-off neighborhood.
  • The Henry House, 476 9th Street, Oakland, CA 94607 – After her husband had left the family, Isadora’s mother brought the family to Oakland, where they would move into the historic Henry House. The Henry House was described as friendly for families and transients. It was a nice boarding house, and after they moved from there, Isadora helped her mother earn money by giving dance lessons.
  • Cole Grammar School, 1011 Union Street, Oakland, CA 94607 – When Isadora’s family moved to Oakland, the kids were enrolled at Cole Grammar School. Due to a lack of parental oversight and a dislike of the restrictive nature of the grammar school, Isadora dropped out when she was ten. The Cole Grammar School is currently known as Cole Elementary School.

~ by Siena Parrish ~

External Links:

“Isadora Duncan.” Isadoraduncan.org, Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, https://isadoraduncan.org/foundation/isadora-duncan/.

https://isadoraduncanarchive.org/static/media/archive/DanceMag1977.compressed.pdf

https://www.biography.com/performer/isadora-duncan – Easy overview of Isadora’s life

https://www.pitt.edu/~gillis/dance/isadora.html – More in-depth look into Isadora’s life

https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/06/02/modern-dance-pioneer-isadora-duncan-once-called-oakland-home/ – A look into Isadora’s life in Oakland, California

https://localwiki.org/oakland/Henry_House_-_Portland_Hotel – Information on Isadora’s childhood home

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