Available:*
Library | Material Type | Shelf Number | Child Count | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Central | Juvenile Book | YA B DUNCAN I. | 1 | Biography Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Describes the life of the modern dancer who created a spontaneous, free-form dance style accompanied by literary readings and non-dance music.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
The lively biography of the eccentric modern dancer -- whose unconventional choreography matched her unconventional lifestyle -- contains enough detail to appeal to readers. Well-chosen photographs are placed throughout the book, including in the index. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An evenhanded biography of the famed dancer and choreographer, Isadora Duncan. In clear, accessible language, O'Connor traces the life of her subject from her unconventional childhood in 19th- century San Francisco through her many travels, triumphs, and tragedies in both Europe and America. Much is made of Duncan's innovations as a dancer, but a more extensive discussion on ballet dancing at the time would have been helpful to place her achievements in context. The photographs, while excellent, are too sparse and too small; they would have profited from being enlarged in both format and number. Still, a useful text about an important contributor to the rhetoric of modernism. Notes; bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-7. From her idiosyncratic childhood to her dramatic death (she choked to death when her shawl caught in the wheel spokes of a Bugati), Isadora Duncan was unlike anyone else. Illustrated with numerous photographs, O'Connor's biography explains how Duncan's dance and her personal life were unusual for the times--though they may not seem so to the MTV generation. O'Connor, who does a fair job presenting both, is especially interesting when discussing Duncan's need for lovers and children, and her lifelong financial difficulties. Additional detail about Duncan's dance contemporaries and her method of training dancers would have been interesting, but this picture of Duncan as an artist driven by differences she's unable to nurture leaves a strong and sad impression. ~--Mary Harris Veeder
Table of Contents
| I. A Family of Artists | p. 7 |
| II. A New York Beginning | p. 15 |
| III. Tuning Her Instrument | p. 24 |
| IV. Dreams Fulfilled | p. 35 |
| V. Ted and Topsy | p. 43 |
| VI. A Millionaire to the Rescue | p. 50 |
| VII. Tragedy | p. 59 |
| VIII. Dancing Again | p. 68 |
| IX. The Russian Years | p. 75 |
| Afterword | p. 86 |
| Notes | p. 88 |
| Bibliography | p. 91 |
| Index | p. 93 |
| About the Author | p. 96 |