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Inventions: Untold Stories of the Beautiful Era #3
The Electricity Fairy
The inspiring true story of Loïe Fuller, a radical nineteenth-century art nouveau icon who turned artificial light into performance art and became the incandescent inventor of modern dance. In a new era lit by Edison bulbs, Loïe Fuller was the quicksilver that connected scientific and artistic inspiration. In a flurry of shifting lights and serpentine spins, she inspired the earliest films of Georges Méliès and held Jean Cocteau spellbound. She even sought out the Curies for a radioactive showstopper. In this transportive and hypnotic historical narrative, the uninhibited Folies Bergère superstar la fée lumière is finally restored to her shimmering, glorious place in modern history. The Electricity Fairy is part of Untold Stories of the Beautiful Era , a collection of incredible true stories from the belle epoque, an age of innovation, daring, bluster, and beauty when anything seemed possible. Each piece can be read, listened to, and marveled at in a single sitting.
42 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2019
365 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Alex Mar
4 books172 followersAlex Mar is the author of Witches of America, which was a New York Times Notable Book in nonfiction. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Wired, The New York Times Book Review, and The Guardian, among many other outlets, as well as The Best American Magazine Writing. She has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Feature Writing, and she is the director of the feature-length documentary American Mystic. She lives in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Her new nonfiction book, Seventy Times Seven, will be published by Penguin Press on March 28th, 2023 (watch the trailer below).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
December 2, 2019
Magical! The story of Loie Fuller, "La Loie", a dancer in the early years of electricity... I had heard of her, having seen posters advertising her shows in an exhibition of Belle Epoque posters I'd seen at the Dallas Museum of Art. I kind of thought she was just a famous showgirl at the Folies or something. That is completely wrong. She was a unique performer, utilizing the new electric lights and giant swirls of silk to take her dances to a new level. She had imitators, but none of them could fully capture what she did and that was due mostly to her work with the lights and mirrors she used. Researchers are in agreement that no performances of La Loie exist on film. In fact, there are some videos online that claim to be her, but this author says most likely those are copycats, not the real Fuller (Wikipedia agrees, for what that's worth). She also held many patents related to stage lighting and the creation of phosphorescent salts used to create her costumes.
This story was fascinating, though mainly focused on Fuller's relationship with electric lighting. I hope to find a full biography of her.
This story was fascinating, though mainly focused on Fuller's relationship with electric lighting. I hope to find a full biography of her.
January 18, 2021
Una lectura sumamente interesante nunca espere ver una historia real que combine a una bailarina, Edinson y los Curie pero sin embargo sucedió!
November 4, 2022
A very interesting snapshot of a truly eccentric artist. Loïe Fuller's story is a fascinating one with some very famous secondary characters. This would make a great film... (again).
Well worth checking out.
Well worth checking out.
September 29, 2020
At just under an hour this short story is included as an Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, or Audible Plus membership benefit. These make great lunch break (or while folding laundry) listens.
I’m a fan of Amy McFadden and she’s a great choice to narrate this delightful story showcasing the intersection of science & entertainment in the early 1900’s.
Obviously, at a mere hour, this isn’t a comprehensive biography, but a glimpse into part of the life of Loïe Fuller. She was not only a performer, but an innovator and inventor. For the length, it was well done.
Note: While I listened to the audio, I also “read along” with the ebook. I highly recommend this as there are numerous photographs that add to the experience.
I’m a fan of Amy McFadden and she’s a great choice to narrate this delightful story showcasing the intersection of science & entertainment in the early 1900’s.
Obviously, at a mere hour, this isn’t a comprehensive biography, but a glimpse into part of the life of Loïe Fuller. She was not only a performer, but an innovator and inventor. For the length, it was well done.
Note: While I listened to the audio, I also “read along” with the ebook. I highly recommend this as there are numerous photographs that add to the experience.
March 20, 2020
This was my favorite of the three books, I guess they saved the best for last. so full of information, an engaging story...it held my attention throughout and introduced other characters/inventors and had a solid ending. I loved it. Would definitely recommend, not to mention...it was free to purchase :) Positives all around. I'm going to do some further reading into Loie Fuller and view some of her imitators online.
April 27, 2019
This short fits its sub-title perfectly, examining the story of Loie Fuller, a performer who had a huge impact on theatrical experiences (especially the use of lighting) as the Vaudeville era gave way to moving pictures. Along the way, it sweeps in Edison and Curie as fellow 'magicians' at a time of major changes in culture and technology. I'd never heard of Fuller before, but was blown away by Mar's descriptions of her performances and persona. The writing makes each of the characters seem larger than life and carried me away into the era, which is all the more remarkable considering the length of the piece (it took me less than 40 minutes to read). Even for someone who doesn't spend a lot of time reading history, this was a fascinating read that made its era and characters come to life in a brief electric glow. Definitely worth the read.
December 31, 2019
I don’t think I had realized this collection was all set in the Belle Epoque – a time period I’m slightly obsessed with – and I am SO glad I started with this one as I had never heard of Loïe Fuller. She was a fascinating woman and artist, building a one-of-a-kind dance/performance art routine around the new magic of electric light. This Amazon Original was very well research, setting Fuller into her historical context, and included beautiful descriptions of her costumes, performances and the wider time period in which she lived. Loved the details about her befriending the Curies and creating a number around the atom. Amazing brilliant woman and a really great read!
Dec 2019 Review:
My mom and I visited a favorite local museum in the lead up to Christmas and saw a new Art Nouveau exhibit which included an amazing metal lamp showing a figure swathed in rippling, moving fabric and light streaming down onto her face from the source hidden in an arc of fabric tossed up above her head. And – of course – it was a statue of Loie Fuller! I remembered this short story and ended up reading it aloud to my Mom over a few nights. I was reminded again how brilliantly the narrative about Loie is interwoven with details about the time period and the astonishing scientific advances happening all around her. Great re-read and we both found it very enjoyable.
Dec 2019 Review:
My mom and I visited a favorite local museum in the lead up to Christmas and saw a new Art Nouveau exhibit which included an amazing metal lamp showing a figure swathed in rippling, moving fabric and light streaming down onto her face from the source hidden in an arc of fabric tossed up above her head. And – of course – it was a statue of Loie Fuller! I remembered this short story and ended up reading it aloud to my Mom over a few nights. I was reminded again how brilliantly the narrative about Loie is interwoven with details about the time period and the astonishing scientific advances happening all around her. Great re-read and we both found it very enjoyable.
October 13, 2022
This short story reads as if it is embellished nonfiction, bringing to life the dancer that interacted with the Curies. I had read only 2-3 sentences about her in my study of the Curies, so I was intrigued to learn more about her. Most of the book I would have given 3 stars, as she had an interesting life, despite a slightly distant description. Then at the very end of the book, there appears the starkest, most out-of-place paragraph that is the most negative compilation of scientific and technological atrocities of the 1900s. It is extremely subjective and one-sided, unlike any other content in this work. For this reason, 2 stars. A work of nonfiction could be turned objective if there was also a paragraph describing the wonderful advancements of quality of life that these technologies brought about. The balance of the two is called ethics. This abrupt ending completely changes the genre to something more akin to a persuasive essay, sadly.
May 5, 2022
While the story of Loie Fuller is fantastic and one to be celebrated in its own right, I found the intertwining of her art with science to be truly magical.
She danced against a backdrop of scientific discoveries that changed the world. Her innovation in art brought her in contact and confidence with Thomas Edison and Madame Curie. Fascinating!
"She [lived] through the final moments of Science as Magic"
She danced against a backdrop of scientific discoveries that changed the world. Her innovation in art brought her in contact and confidence with Thomas Edison and Madame Curie. Fascinating!
"She [lived] through the final moments of Science as Magic"
May 4, 2020
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
Loïe Fuller, or La Loïe, is the inventor of modern dance as we know it. She transfixed her audience through movement embellished with light and costume design. This short history reveals the moment where she takes a small, uncredited part and creates something new. As with most novelty, it doesn't take beyond the performance. In part because of her ordinary appearance, she can find no support in the late 19th Century United States as an actress.
She switches her interest to dance performance and turns to Paris, France, to find a willing audience. La Loïe becomes a star so popular that she's internationally well-known and admired. This book follows both her artistic progress and her life, including her romantic relationship with a cross-dressing woman (or possibly transman). It brings to light a bit of forgotten history, pointing to her brilliance in use of illumination, choreography, and even chemistry as she continues to push the barriers of what is possible. At the same time, her singlemindedness doesn't always work in her favor, as this account shows.
History may have forgotten her beyond mis-labeled, and rare, early footage, but during her era, La Loïe is famous. She's welcomed by the elite and scientists, who let her in to see research in progress. Edison tries to convince her to be filmed with no success, but some research his company pursues ends up embellishing her dance. Copycats spring up, appearing in early films when she herself holds firm to the transient nature of performance. She's unwilling to trust scientists to preserve her performances without corrupting them.
When visiting the Curies, she tries to convince them to allow her to use some radioactive materials in her performance. They refuse to expose an unsuspecting audience to what they already suspect of being dangerous, much to her disappointment.
These are just a few of the encounters described within. It's a fascinating look at how she was perceived in her own time, and her lasting impression on many aspects of dance performance for all her name is all but lost. The book also gives a glimpse of the changing times as cinema impinges on the world of live performances. Recordings might reduce the impact of performances, but at the same time, film makes the art available to the masses instead of only the wealthy elite. Even the Edison/Tesla conflict is given some space.
This is a short, evocative, and at times, lyrical narrative of a dancer's life who created her own techniques that still influence modern dance today. I enjoyed learning her history, especially in how it comes along with a sense of the changing era. The world trembled on the edge of a technological leap forward that would make the fascination with live performances dim as cinema brought even grand operas to a stage within the budget of the average person. And yet, because of her own wish for an ethereal performance, she refuses to grace the repetitive format of film. La Loïe has faded from the public's memory until any of her filmed imposters is mistaken for her.
Two other elements added depth to this fascinating account.
She was not a beautiful, slender woman, but rather captivated audiences with her style and graceful choreography. La Loïe used light and moving fabric for a living canvas until audiences forgot her nontraditional appearance and became enamored of her art.
The second is simply this...she lived to explore new enhancements that would strengthen her next performance, becoming as much a chemist and light scientist as a performing artist. She was ahead of her time in many aspects. I'm glad to have met her through this moving account and its awareness of both the social mores and the scientific breakthroughs making her moment all that more exceptional.
P.S. This title and the Inventions-Untold Stories of the Beautiful Era collection is available for purchase, and to borrow, on Amazon.
Loïe Fuller, or La Loïe, is the inventor of modern dance as we know it. She transfixed her audience through movement embellished with light and costume design. This short history reveals the moment where she takes a small, uncredited part and creates something new. As with most novelty, it doesn't take beyond the performance. In part because of her ordinary appearance, she can find no support in the late 19th Century United States as an actress.
She switches her interest to dance performance and turns to Paris, France, to find a willing audience. La Loïe becomes a star so popular that she's internationally well-known and admired. This book follows both her artistic progress and her life, including her romantic relationship with a cross-dressing woman (or possibly transman). It brings to light a bit of forgotten history, pointing to her brilliance in use of illumination, choreography, and even chemistry as she continues to push the barriers of what is possible. At the same time, her singlemindedness doesn't always work in her favor, as this account shows.
History may have forgotten her beyond mis-labeled, and rare, early footage, but during her era, La Loïe is famous. She's welcomed by the elite and scientists, who let her in to see research in progress. Edison tries to convince her to be filmed with no success, but some research his company pursues ends up embellishing her dance. Copycats spring up, appearing in early films when she herself holds firm to the transient nature of performance. She's unwilling to trust scientists to preserve her performances without corrupting them.
When visiting the Curies, she tries to convince them to allow her to use some radioactive materials in her performance. They refuse to expose an unsuspecting audience to what they already suspect of being dangerous, much to her disappointment.
These are just a few of the encounters described within. It's a fascinating look at how she was perceived in her own time, and her lasting impression on many aspects of dance performance for all her name is all but lost. The book also gives a glimpse of the changing times as cinema impinges on the world of live performances. Recordings might reduce the impact of performances, but at the same time, film makes the art available to the masses instead of only the wealthy elite. Even the Edison/Tesla conflict is given some space.
This is a short, evocative, and at times, lyrical narrative of a dancer's life who created her own techniques that still influence modern dance today. I enjoyed learning her history, especially in how it comes along with a sense of the changing era. The world trembled on the edge of a technological leap forward that would make the fascination with live performances dim as cinema brought even grand operas to a stage within the budget of the average person. And yet, because of her own wish for an ethereal performance, she refuses to grace the repetitive format of film. La Loïe has faded from the public's memory until any of her filmed imposters is mistaken for her.
Two other elements added depth to this fascinating account.
She was not a beautiful, slender woman, but rather captivated audiences with her style and graceful choreography. La Loïe used light and moving fabric for a living canvas until audiences forgot her nontraditional appearance and became enamored of her art.
The second is simply this...she lived to explore new enhancements that would strengthen her next performance, becoming as much a chemist and light scientist as a performing artist. She was ahead of her time in many aspects. I'm glad to have met her through this moving account and its awareness of both the social mores and the scientific breakthroughs making her moment all that more exceptional.
P.S. This title and the Inventions-Untold Stories of the Beautiful Era collection is available for purchase, and to borrow, on Amazon.
April 3, 2019
Although the history occurs too early, the tone of this book recalls that of
1913: The Year Before the Storm
by Illian Flories. The connection-making and the anecdotal structure with the narrative, which is almost abstract, makes the story as light and strobe-like as Fuller's performances.
Unfortunately, we have the interruption of the appearance of Edison, fully given credit for his inventions (which popular knowledge indicates were often created by his team), yet also given credit for his provision of the electric chair due to petty competition. We do not know if Fuller, uninterested in being filmed by him (similar to the ballerina Markova, who was doubtful of the value of capturing her dancing on film--see The Making of Markova: Diaghilev's Baby Ballerina to Groundbreaking Icon ), was miffed at Edison getting a stand-in to do a similar performance for his early motion picture experiments. Perhaps she didn't care since she was on her own rising star. However, was Edison central to the story and could he have been left out? Possibly yes, to this particular history's benefit.
More interesting is the entrance of Madame Curie, discoverer of radium, more a kindred spirit of Fuller than Edison. A woman paving her way in the world against expectation, she also dealt with barely perceptible, glowing phenomena. The metaphor of Fuller transforming herself into electrons with her flowing robes and shifting light displays, transcending and metamorphosing, is the beautiful climax to this work. But there are other beautiful episodes: the Curies touring Rodin's studio in silence, with Madame Curie moved to grasp the artist's hands at parting; Fuller's private performance in the Curie's home; Fuller seeing her theater erected with her name.
This barely there, light-as-air history is a few minutes' escape into the turn of the century that illuminates the life of an unusual female artist and the scientists fascinated by her.
Unfortunately, we have the interruption of the appearance of Edison, fully given credit for his inventions (which popular knowledge indicates were often created by his team), yet also given credit for his provision of the electric chair due to petty competition. We do not know if Fuller, uninterested in being filmed by him (similar to the ballerina Markova, who was doubtful of the value of capturing her dancing on film--see The Making of Markova: Diaghilev's Baby Ballerina to Groundbreaking Icon ), was miffed at Edison getting a stand-in to do a similar performance for his early motion picture experiments. Perhaps she didn't care since she was on her own rising star. However, was Edison central to the story and could he have been left out? Possibly yes, to this particular history's benefit.
More interesting is the entrance of Madame Curie, discoverer of radium, more a kindred spirit of Fuller than Edison. A woman paving her way in the world against expectation, she also dealt with barely perceptible, glowing phenomena. The metaphor of Fuller transforming herself into electrons with her flowing robes and shifting light displays, transcending and metamorphosing, is the beautiful climax to this work. But there are other beautiful episodes: the Curies touring Rodin's studio in silence, with Madame Curie moved to grasp the artist's hands at parting; Fuller's private performance in the Curie's home; Fuller seeing her theater erected with her name.
This barely there, light-as-air history is a few minutes' escape into the turn of the century that illuminates the life of an unusual female artist and the scientists fascinated by her.
June 18, 2019
Amazon’s Inventions: Untold Stories of the Beautiful Era collection may be my favorite discovery of 2019. It consists of three nonfiction novellas covering the inventions and discoveries of the early 1900s. I listened to the audiobook versions which were an interesting mix of audiobook and podcast. Actually, I often felt as if I was listening to a radio broadcast of the events. I enjoyed the format as a nonfiction lover and I feel it will make nonfiction more accessible for those new to the genre.
I started with listening to The Electricity Fairy, and am not ashamed to say I picked it because I thought it would be about the electricity wars between Edison and Tesla. (Nope…didn’t even bother to read the story summary.) I was pleasantly surprised to find myself learning about the life of Loie Fuller, dancer and harnesser of light. This was a historic figure/story that I knew NOTHING about…I GET TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW! That is why we read nonfiction right?
Loie Fuller, the Electricity Fairy, was a dancer who combined flowing fabric and colored lights to create mesmerizing performances. She was driven by the effects of light and motion, and was innovative in her use of extensive moving light rigs to produce her desired illusions. But The Electricity Fairy covers more than just dance and fancy lighting. This story introduces readers to Marie Curie’s research on radium and Edison’s push towards moving pictures through our artist’s personal association with the scientists. Readers are also provided a detailed description of period artistic movements, with Fuller’s activities highlighting how art mixed with industrial innovation to influence the society growing around the advancements.
The information presented in The Electricity Fairy was well researched and presented in an easy to read format. It is a wonderfully engaging mix of light, dance, and science.
Let me know if you have listened to the Inventions collection and happy reading!
Lindsay
Check out more reviews at History and Mystery!
I started with listening to The Electricity Fairy, and am not ashamed to say I picked it because I thought it would be about the electricity wars between Edison and Tesla. (Nope…didn’t even bother to read the story summary.) I was pleasantly surprised to find myself learning about the life of Loie Fuller, dancer and harnesser of light. This was a historic figure/story that I knew NOTHING about…I GET TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW! That is why we read nonfiction right?
Loie Fuller, the Electricity Fairy, was a dancer who combined flowing fabric and colored lights to create mesmerizing performances. She was driven by the effects of light and motion, and was innovative in her use of extensive moving light rigs to produce her desired illusions. But The Electricity Fairy covers more than just dance and fancy lighting. This story introduces readers to Marie Curie’s research on radium and Edison’s push towards moving pictures through our artist’s personal association with the scientists. Readers are also provided a detailed description of period artistic movements, with Fuller’s activities highlighting how art mixed with industrial innovation to influence the society growing around the advancements.
The information presented in The Electricity Fairy was well researched and presented in an easy to read format. It is a wonderfully engaging mix of light, dance, and science.
Let me know if you have listened to the Inventions collection and happy reading!
Lindsay
Check out more reviews at History and Mystery!
February 22, 2022
This was an unique interplay of artisans and inventors. Loïe Fuller took an odd series of jobs that eventually led her to become a dance legend. Just as Edison was producing artificial light and Marie Curie was discovering the effects of her luminous new element, Loïe designed sets, costumes, and her movement to create a sensational experience. However, she was reluctant to allow technology to capture her serpentine dance onto film, regarding the medium as unfulfilling in comparison to the experience. It has some interesting threads--Loïe's egotism and perfectionist nature or the birth of production managers for example--However, the sliced vignettes don't tell much of a story. Worse the material which is about light, color, and disreality is at odds with the flat prose struggling to relay that bevy of fantastical visuals. It's fine for a one shot visit but will quickly be forgotten.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2024
¿Alguna vez has imaginado un mundo donde la electricidad tenga un toque mágico? En "The Electricity Fairy", Alex Mar convierte lo cotidiano en extraordinario al dar vida a la electricidad con un giro encantador. La novela mezcla fantasía y realidad para explorar cómo este elemento esencial transforma nuestra vida diaria de maneras sorprendentes.
A través de esta historia, te enfrentarás a una perspectiva única sobre la tecnología, viéndola como algo más que una herramienta: un agente de maravilla y cambio.
Aprenderás que la magia puede encontrarse en los lugares más inesperados, y que lo familiar puede cobrar un nuevo significado cuando se ve con ojos de asombro. El libro te recuerda que, en el corazón de lo cotidiano, puede latir una chispa de lo extraordinario.
A través de esta historia, te enfrentarás a una perspectiva única sobre la tecnología, viéndola como algo más que una herramienta: un agente de maravilla y cambio.
Aprenderás que la magia puede encontrarse en los lugares más inesperados, y que lo familiar puede cobrar un nuevo significado cuando se ve con ojos de asombro. El libro te recuerda que, en el corazón de lo cotidiano, puede latir una chispa de lo extraordinario.
April 4, 2019
Dance Diva with Ego to Match
This short book is one of the three Inventions Amazon originals series books out this month. I greatly enjoyed the Jump book. This book wasn't as interesting for me. A great part of it spends time describing her dance style. After a while it gets boring. While the lady was an artiste, she was adamantly opposed to efforts to put her performances on the media of film. Copycats filled that bill for Edison. The sections on Thomas Edison and Marie Cutie were more interesting for me. Amy McFadden was excellent on the narration, but I felt it could've been trimmed a bit for the redundant dance descriptions.
This short book is one of the three Inventions Amazon originals series books out this month. I greatly enjoyed the Jump book. This book wasn't as interesting for me. A great part of it spends time describing her dance style. After a while it gets boring. While the lady was an artiste, she was adamantly opposed to efforts to put her performances on the media of film. Copycats filled that bill for Edison. The sections on Thomas Edison and Marie Cutie were more interesting for me. Amy McFadden was excellent on the narration, but I felt it could've been trimmed a bit for the redundant dance descriptions.
December 6, 2022
THE ELECTRICITY FAIRY is a fascinating documentary of Loie Fuller as she combines science and dance in her theatrical productions. This obscure story combines the scientific endeavors of Madame Curie and the innovative creations of Ms. Fuller. I discovered this story as part of the quarterly Kindle reading challenge under a collection entitled "Inventions: Untold Stories of the Beautiful Era", culminating in an elabor6display at the World' Fair in 1900. This was an interesting gem and delight quick read. "What science has revealed, she manifests through her dance. She’s the life in our elementary particles."
July 23, 2024
I love these short books about different people. Some well known and others less so.
"When a human being dances in front of you, and then is still again, that movement can never be repeated. Not exactly. A peculiar human motion takes place, animated by the very same air that you, the witness, are breathing at the that very same moment, and then it comes to halt. Someone might be able to recreate that, pass on the spirit of it, but that dance- that precise moment of dancing- is gone and will not come back. The dancer trusts that fugitive moment, thrives in it. It is theatre l, it is impermanent. You have to he there. "
"When a human being dances in front of you, and then is still again, that movement can never be repeated. Not exactly. A peculiar human motion takes place, animated by the very same air that you, the witness, are breathing at the that very same moment, and then it comes to halt. Someone might be able to recreate that, pass on the spirit of it, but that dance- that precise moment of dancing- is gone and will not come back. The dancer trusts that fugitive moment, thrives in it. It is theatre l, it is impermanent. You have to he there. "
April 19, 2019
Really intriguing, especially for that subset of us who are equally fascinated by science and art. These interlocking slices of La Belle Époque history elegantly link great leaps of progress in light, dance, electricity, and chemistry -- all wrapped up in a delightfully enjoyable story of an age when science was the natural and inevitable evolution of magic. It's funny how I'm drawn more and more to topics involving the use of light. Lighting design was my late father's art. This title is free to borrow for Kindle Unlimited members (ebook with narration).
May 6, 2019
Evocative
The descriptions in this book were so beautifully detailed they created beautiful images in the mind despite all pictures being in black and white. I can’t even imagine how breathtaking it must have been to see this woman perform in person. I can’t believe that she had a relationship with the Curies and how even Edison wanted to photograph her. She was so famous during her time, it’s crazy to have never heard her name. I loved how she made her own destiny and how she always fought to be the best and fought for her own identity. She was protective of her art.
The descriptions in this book were so beautifully detailed they created beautiful images in the mind despite all pictures being in black and white. I can’t even imagine how breathtaking it must have been to see this woman perform in person. I can’t believe that she had a relationship with the Curies and how even Edison wanted to photograph her. She was so famous during her time, it’s crazy to have never heard her name. I loved how she made her own destiny and how she always fought to be the best and fought for her own identity. She was protective of her art.
August 10, 2019
Hmm.. okay. Audible's recommendation engine brought this to my attention and I decided to give it a try. It was so short that I finished it, but something about it was not clicking with me.
I guess I just didn't care to know about her life, or I guess it did not trigger any connection with her struggle. I respect her for inventing a new approach to entertainment, but it didn't inspire me to go do the same.
To me, listening to this book was just weird. Not sure why. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you're really into Edison electricity stories.
I guess I just didn't care to know about her life, or I guess it did not trigger any connection with her struggle. I respect her for inventing a new approach to entertainment, but it didn't inspire me to go do the same.
To me, listening to this book was just weird. Not sure why. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you're really into Edison electricity stories.
December 30, 2021
This is a short story about Loïe Fuller, a nineteenth-century art nouveau dancer who created her own style with elaborate costumes and illumination. An American expatriate to Paris, Fuller became an icon at Folies Bergère and utilized Thomas Edison's newly invented incandescent lighting into her performance art. She also toyed with the idea of using radium as part of her dance routine.
This quick read packs a punch, entwining the work of Fuller, Edison, Madam Curie, and the history of the Paris Exposition to tell the story of the Electric Fairy.
This quick read packs a punch, entwining the work of Fuller, Edison, Madam Curie, and the history of the Paris Exposition to tell the story of the Electric Fairy.
March 13, 2023
A short summary of the life and artistry of Loïe Fuller. Dancer from 1900s just when lightbulbs were being invented. She's also queer with a long term female partner but that's a minor part of the story.
She did some mad dances with voluminous fabrics - did all her own set design and stage lighting, was mates with Edison and Marie Curie.
There's no actual footage of her dancing but there is videos of one of her imitators
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dda-BXN...
I learnt a remarkable amount about a talented woman of creativity, dance and science.
I wish it had been longer, and similar to other readers I found the paragraph at the end to be quite jarring and out of place.
She did some mad dances with voluminous fabrics - did all her own set design and stage lighting, was mates with Edison and Marie Curie.
There's no actual footage of her dancing but there is videos of one of her imitators
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dda-BXN...
I learnt a remarkable amount about a talented woman of creativity, dance and science.
I wish it had been longer, and similar to other readers I found the paragraph at the end to be quite jarring and out of place.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2019
Enthralling!
Ms. Mar creates a breathtaking image from the turning point of the 20th century. Bringing to life the amazing creativity of Loïe Fuller and the myriad synchronicities between the sciences and arts at the fin de sciecle; evoking an adrenaline rush one seldom encounters in "dry" history. The accompanying photos are priceless to the narrative.
Ms. Mar creates a breathtaking image from the turning point of the 20th century. Bringing to life the amazing creativity of Loïe Fuller and the myriad synchronicities between the sciences and arts at the fin de sciecle; evoking an adrenaline rush one seldom encounters in "dry" history. The accompanying photos are priceless to the narrative.
May 27, 2019
Loved this! I thought the writing was spellbinding and the story was so engrossing. I'd never even heard of Loïe Fuller before reading this, much to my amazement. While on the one hand, I admire her for wanting to keep her performances transitory, but on the other I very much regret there not being any footage of her performing, because I would really have loved to see it.
March 7, 2020
*I borrowed this book from Amazon Prime and I listened to it.*
I thought the stories were interesting because I got to learn about the inventors but I wanted to learn more about Thomas Edison and Marie Curie. I thought I would hear more about them but this book is only 59 minutes long so it’s nice when you want a short audiobook to listen to but I was expecting more from this book.
I thought the stories were interesting because I got to learn about the inventors but I wanted to learn more about Thomas Edison and Marie Curie. I thought I would hear more about them but this book is only 59 minutes long so it’s nice when you want a short audiobook to listen to but I was expecting more from this book.
February 15, 2021
Loie Fuller and the dawn of a new era
This is a true story of a young American girl, who loved science and dance. Thomas Edison was inventing the light bulb, Loie Fuller was dancing in Paris. Loie was the first modern dancer, she was self made. She invented her costumes, her lighting effects, her dance routines. Nicely written, well researched. Read and enjoy!
This is a true story of a young American girl, who loved science and dance. Thomas Edison was inventing the light bulb, Loie Fuller was dancing in Paris. Loie was the first modern dancer, she was self made. She invented her costumes, her lighting effects, her dance routines. Nicely written, well researched. Read and enjoy!
May 17, 2021
A short story of art (dance, lights) and beauty, and an artist who loves science. Interesting to learn of her friendship with the Curie family; she wanted to dance covered in Radium (!!!) in public, but fortunately Marie Curie knew Radium was dangerous (at least knew about direct contact radiation burns on the skin, if not about less immediate risks, sadly), and forbade it.
November 14, 2021
This was a very interesting portrait of Loïe Fuller. I have been interested in her since I saw Taylor Swift's hommage to her during her Reputation Tour, where her dancers performed a sort of Serpentine Dance. This historical narrative was told in a way that kept me interested and taught me a lot about both Fuller and those around her. Alex Mar did a great job with this one!
March 8, 2023
Originality can be surpassed by copies
A short yet stunning piece that illuminated the decline of live entertainment as the celluloid simulacrum reached out to quash the art of performance .
Loved the impact Edison and Currie had upon this as well. That awe at the onset is often followed by tragedy.
A short yet stunning piece that illuminated the decline of live entertainment as the celluloid simulacrum reached out to quash the art of performance .
Loved the impact Edison and Currie had upon this as well. That awe at the onset is often followed by tragedy.
March 24, 2023
A fascinating, if short, biography of Loïe Fuller, one of the founders of modern dance, modern dance costumes, and electric stage lighting. A very cool look into how art, science and technology overlapped as Fuller rubs elbows with pioneers of film, lights, electricity, radiation, dance, art and theater.
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