What do you think?
Rate this book
El arte de la danza y otros escritos
fine arts dance
- GenresNonfictionArt
194 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1970
3 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Isadora Duncan
22 books92 followersIsadora Duncan was an American dancer. She was born Angela Isadora Duncan in San Francisco, California and is considered by many to be the mother of Modern Dance. Although never very popular in the United States, she entertained throughout Europe.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 24, 2023
«La naturaleza siempre ha sido y debe ser la gran fuente del arte»
Isadora Duncan, fue una bailarina y coreógrafa estadounidense, creadora de la danza contemporánea, de la liberación del cuerpo en su expresividad. De su alineacion con la naturaleza, el ritmo, la armonía como expresión pura de belleza.
Isadora buscó y encontró durante toda su vida movimientos del cuerpo que le otorgasen la perfecta expresión, la expresión del espíritu, la expresión del alma, acorde a la forma y edad del cuerpo, mediante medios armónicos de la fuerza. Libre, natural, sin fórmulas o reglas fijas o encorsetadas que, como el ballet, hagan del movimiento su muerte y no su plena expresión natural. Esa era para ella la verdadera danza. Una danza que nunca pudo enseñar y que ella nunca aprendió, pues de sus alumnas tendría que despertar la bailarina.
«un simple girar hacia atrás la cabeza, hecho con pasión, hace correr por nuestro interior un frenesí báquico, de alegría, de heroísmo o de deseo. Todos los gestos producen una respuesta interna, y, asimismo, tienen el poder de expresar directamente todos los posibles estados del alma.»
«Si mi arte simboliza alguna otra cosa, simboliza la libertad de la mujer y su emancipación de los tabúes y convenciones represivas que son la perversión del puritanismo de Nueva Inglaterra. »
Isadora elabora un hilo argumental en defensa de la danza y en concreto de la danza libre (en contraposición al ballet) mediante reflexiones de aparente voz alzada, diálogos imaginados, con una fórmula que se asemeja a los Dialogos de Platón, o a modo de fragmentos de diario, a fin de demostrar su teoria sobre la búsqueda de la danza verdadera, y que pasa por el análisis del movimiento del mar, de los pájaros, del sonido de la brisa, en definitiva, de la naturaleza así como de la libertad de forma y completa sensibilidad que otorga la infancia, y la búsqueda de la armonía y el gozo estético que proceden de los movimientos eternos de la escultura griega o de la música de Wagner, Beethoven o Schumann.
«Desconocemos el reposo de un descenso y el placer de respirar, de remontar de nuevo el vuelo, y volver, como un pájaro, al descanso »
Un libro muy bello aunque algo incesante en la repetición de ideas sobre la educación de los niños, pero de gran valor al expresar la necesidad del arte como alimento desde que somos críos. Isadora reivindica no solo una educación en el arte sino una educación gratuita para los hijos de los trabajadores que les permita ser, vivir, cultivarse y expresarse libremente, sin ataduras sociales. Y todo ello lo expresa con una prosa tan ligera, armoniosa y placentera que, hasta en su escritura, crea el libre y bello movimiento del espíritu.
«He alcanzado picos altísimos inundados de luz, pero mi alma no tiene fuerza para vivir allí; y nadie se ha dado cuenta de la terrible tortura de la que he intentado escapar. Algún día, cuando comprendáis el sufrimiento, entenderéis también todo lo que he vivido, y entonces sólo pensaréis en la luz hacia la que me he dirigido y sabréis que la verdadera Isadora está allí »
«y todo ello es el amor inspirado y la ternura de nuestras madres»
Isadora Duncan, fue una bailarina y coreógrafa estadounidense, creadora de la danza contemporánea, de la liberación del cuerpo en su expresividad. De su alineacion con la naturaleza, el ritmo, la armonía como expresión pura de belleza.
Isadora buscó y encontró durante toda su vida movimientos del cuerpo que le otorgasen la perfecta expresión, la expresión del espíritu, la expresión del alma, acorde a la forma y edad del cuerpo, mediante medios armónicos de la fuerza. Libre, natural, sin fórmulas o reglas fijas o encorsetadas que, como el ballet, hagan del movimiento su muerte y no su plena expresión natural. Esa era para ella la verdadera danza. Una danza que nunca pudo enseñar y que ella nunca aprendió, pues de sus alumnas tendría que despertar la bailarina.
«un simple girar hacia atrás la cabeza, hecho con pasión, hace correr por nuestro interior un frenesí báquico, de alegría, de heroísmo o de deseo. Todos los gestos producen una respuesta interna, y, asimismo, tienen el poder de expresar directamente todos los posibles estados del alma.»
«Si mi arte simboliza alguna otra cosa, simboliza la libertad de la mujer y su emancipación de los tabúes y convenciones represivas que son la perversión del puritanismo de Nueva Inglaterra. »
Isadora elabora un hilo argumental en defensa de la danza y en concreto de la danza libre (en contraposición al ballet) mediante reflexiones de aparente voz alzada, diálogos imaginados, con una fórmula que se asemeja a los Dialogos de Platón, o a modo de fragmentos de diario, a fin de demostrar su teoria sobre la búsqueda de la danza verdadera, y que pasa por el análisis del movimiento del mar, de los pájaros, del sonido de la brisa, en definitiva, de la naturaleza así como de la libertad de forma y completa sensibilidad que otorga la infancia, y la búsqueda de la armonía y el gozo estético que proceden de los movimientos eternos de la escultura griega o de la música de Wagner, Beethoven o Schumann.
«Desconocemos el reposo de un descenso y el placer de respirar, de remontar de nuevo el vuelo, y volver, como un pájaro, al descanso »
Un libro muy bello aunque algo incesante en la repetición de ideas sobre la educación de los niños, pero de gran valor al expresar la necesidad del arte como alimento desde que somos críos. Isadora reivindica no solo una educación en el arte sino una educación gratuita para los hijos de los trabajadores que les permita ser, vivir, cultivarse y expresarse libremente, sin ataduras sociales. Y todo ello lo expresa con una prosa tan ligera, armoniosa y placentera que, hasta en su escritura, crea el libre y bello movimiento del espíritu.
«He alcanzado picos altísimos inundados de luz, pero mi alma no tiene fuerza para vivir allí; y nadie se ha dado cuenta de la terrible tortura de la que he intentado escapar. Algún día, cuando comprendáis el sufrimiento, entenderéis también todo lo que he vivido, y entonces sólo pensaréis en la luz hacia la que me he dirigido y sabréis que la verdadera Isadora está allí »
«y todo ello es el amor inspirado y la ternura de nuestras madres»
March 12, 2021
This book has beautiful excerpts, as every dancer knows. But it’s just that, excerpts. Isadora Duncan was incredibly racist, as she shows in this book, and incredibly hateful. She can’t write something beautiful without insulting someone else first. This was a let down. I thought I’d be reading beautiful thoughts about dance but instead was reading racism and hate on paper.
February 11, 2026
The Art of the Dance was published in 1928. It is a collection of Isadora Duncan’s writings about her dancing that was published posthumously. It is also forwarded by a few of her friends as a memorial to her.
This past year I’ve gotten really into dancing in the Isadora Duncan style. I grew up doing ballet and have since looked for a different type of dancing that was flowy and graceful, yet not so rigid. Finally I stumbled upon what I was looking for. I’ve watched teaching videos and performances, but I wanted to go deeper and read in her own words what Isadora had to say about her dancing style that she created. This book is out of print sadly, but the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation sells these copies of it.
This was a wonderful resource and also inspiring to read. The memorials in the beginning were a nice touch as well. Isadora was so passionate about her art. She had high ideals and aspirations. She also had very strong opinions. Although, I guess in order to pioneer a new dance movement she had to strongly rebel against other dance forms. She really was not into ballet! She had very strong opinions about it in particular. She was all about getting back to what’s natural. Looking to nature for inspiration. Creating movement that is natural to each individual figure. Freedom was important to her. Dancing barefoot and in light flowy tunics rather than being restricted by tight or extravagant costumes. Her philosophy about dancing was very spiritual. Her movements emanating from the solar plexus and outwards and upwards towards something divine. Dancing that is alive and comes from a place deep within. An embodiment of the soul. Each movement holding the birth of the next moment.
Her dancing was sometimes called Greek dancing, which she disagreed with. She was very inspired by Ancient Greece and the arts of that time, but she said her dancing was American, “In London when I danced they said my dances were taken from the Greek. It is not true. They are American. I am an American, born in California. My ancestors have lived in America for two hundred years. My dances are of the woods, the lakes, the rivers, the mountains and the prairies of my native land - aren’t they?”
She founded various schools, but struggled with long term success. There’s a lot in these writings about her idealistic vision of bringing this type of dancing to children everywhere. It was a vision she was immensely passionate about. Her dancing lives on, but perhaps not on the scale she would have liked. If so I personally would have found out about it sooner and found resources more accessible.
This was a great read. Exactly what I was looking for and inspiring even outside of dancing. I found it inspiring for creative expression in general and also just a way to live in the physical body. A way that isn’t about punishment, rigidity, restriction or pushing it past its limits. A way that is natural, free, that embraces the joy of living in a physical vessel able to express itself and move. A body that is one with nature and the divine. The essences of both flowing through it.
This past year I’ve gotten really into dancing in the Isadora Duncan style. I grew up doing ballet and have since looked for a different type of dancing that was flowy and graceful, yet not so rigid. Finally I stumbled upon what I was looking for. I’ve watched teaching videos and performances, but I wanted to go deeper and read in her own words what Isadora had to say about her dancing style that she created. This book is out of print sadly, but the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation sells these copies of it.
This was a wonderful resource and also inspiring to read. The memorials in the beginning were a nice touch as well. Isadora was so passionate about her art. She had high ideals and aspirations. She also had very strong opinions. Although, I guess in order to pioneer a new dance movement she had to strongly rebel against other dance forms. She really was not into ballet! She had very strong opinions about it in particular. She was all about getting back to what’s natural. Looking to nature for inspiration. Creating movement that is natural to each individual figure. Freedom was important to her. Dancing barefoot and in light flowy tunics rather than being restricted by tight or extravagant costumes. Her philosophy about dancing was very spiritual. Her movements emanating from the solar plexus and outwards and upwards towards something divine. Dancing that is alive and comes from a place deep within. An embodiment of the soul. Each movement holding the birth of the next moment.
Her dancing was sometimes called Greek dancing, which she disagreed with. She was very inspired by Ancient Greece and the arts of that time, but she said her dancing was American, “In London when I danced they said my dances were taken from the Greek. It is not true. They are American. I am an American, born in California. My ancestors have lived in America for two hundred years. My dances are of the woods, the lakes, the rivers, the mountains and the prairies of my native land - aren’t they?”
She founded various schools, but struggled with long term success. There’s a lot in these writings about her idealistic vision of bringing this type of dancing to children everywhere. It was a vision she was immensely passionate about. Her dancing lives on, but perhaps not on the scale she would have liked. If so I personally would have found out about it sooner and found resources more accessible.
This was a great read. Exactly what I was looking for and inspiring even outside of dancing. I found it inspiring for creative expression in general and also just a way to live in the physical body. A way that isn’t about punishment, rigidity, restriction or pushing it past its limits. A way that is natural, free, that embraces the joy of living in a physical vessel able to express itself and move. A body that is one with nature and the divine. The essences of both flowing through it.
September 28, 2008
This collection of Isadora Duncan's essays, published after her death, is invaluable to any Duncan dancer or scholar. While the incomparable My Life deals mostly with the events of her personal life, this book contains her thoughts on dance itself, and one reading destroys forever the mistaken impression that Isadora was a dancer without technique. It's a wonderful book to elicit a powerful wish to study Duncan dance. Woefully out of print, it can be obtained for exorbiant prices from ebay, or bought from the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation.
May 18, 2017
Me habría encantado conocer a Isadora Duncan. Aun cuando el ballet no era su favorito y el mío si, sus argumentos y la forma como habla de su danza es muy conmovedora. Su concepción de belleza femenina basada en las representaciones artísticas pasadas y como el movimiento es parte esencial de la naturaleza... Es maravilloso.
Tenía mis dudas. Amo el ballet y me sentía como una hereje leyéndola jajajja. Pero me encantó. Y puedo entender su posición frente a la danza clásica. No tengo dudas que cualquier persona que ame la danza, sea cual sea su estilo, amará este libro.
Tenía mis dudas. Amo el ballet y me sentía como una hereje leyéndola jajajja. Pero me encantó. Y puedo entender su posición frente a la danza clásica. No tengo dudas que cualquier persona que ame la danza, sea cual sea su estilo, amará este libro.
July 7, 2015
Isadora was certainly a revolutionary, and I've been privileged to study under her contemporaries. Duncan dance has opened my world in many ways, and reading this, I very much appreciate many of her ideas - but her racism is despicable. Yes, this was written before desegregation, but for such a feminist, "modern" thinker, I'm still shocked at her elitism (really, Greek art is the only art that inspires true beauty and attunement to nature? African dance is primal and animalistic? UGH).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews