Duncan Isadora: A Biography. Isadora Duncan and Yesenin

A woman who never was afraid to go against public opinion ... Her first fiancé was 29 years older and her only husband 18 years younger. She is still known to everyone as a dancer, but her innovative dance style at the time died with her, although she tried to found her own schools in different countries to perpetuate her own vision of plastics and choreography. This was Isadora Duncan, whose biography will be considered in this article. Her scandalous and unusual life was interrupted by an equally extravagant death. But the trace that she left in history, has not caught a cold so far.

The birth of the future star

The first step of the future famous dancer was set by life even before her birth. By the time the baby was supposed to be born, there were already three children in the family. Yes, that's just the family was not. The father, who had committed a major bank scam, fled, leaving his pregnant wife and children to their fate. He took all the money with him and never appeared in the life of his youngest daughter.

It was in 1877. Or maybe, in 1878 ... Behind the window stood January. And maybe May ... The fact is that the exact date of birth of little Dora Angela Duncan is unknown. She was born in a noisy San Francisco under the angry cries of her father's deceived investors, who were raging under the windows of the house.

Early childhood

These tests, although a complete surprise to her mother, did not break the decisive woman. She promised herself that, no matter what, she would raise children and provide them with everything necessary. By profession, Dora's mother Angela was a musician and, to support her family, she had to work hard, giving lessons.

She really managed to put all her children to her feet, and even give them a very good education. But she could not pay enough attention to children physically. In order not to leave her little daughter alone for a long time alone at home, her mother gave her early to school, hiding her real age.

However, the evenings of a dedicated mother were completely owned by children. She played for them the favorite works of Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and other great composers. From the earliest childhood, Duncan Isadora listened to the poetry of William Shakespeare and the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley.

First Love

Interested in men Dora Angela started yet quite at a young age. When she was only eleven years old, Dora Angela liked a young man named Vernon, who worked in the chemist's warehouse. She was so persistent in her desire that the guy, after all, was forced to come up with a non-existent engagement. And only when he assured her that she would soon marry, she retreated.

However, do not hastily conclude that Dora Angela was a loose nymphet. This would be a blatant distortion of the facts. The persecution of Vernon was, although insistent, but childishly innocent. And yet this episode from her life already tells a lot about the character of this eccentric person, whom she will remain until her last breath. Isadora Duncan, whose biography will write more than one male name on her pages, will fully reveal herself as a woman much later.

Definition of dreams

Her first dance school Dora Angela opened at six. In the role of pupils there were neighbor children. It's clear, it was just a child's play. But by the age of 10 she and her sister had already really earned something by teaching dance. Dora Angela talked about a new dance system, which, of course, at that time just was not there. The girl simply taught the children beautiful movements, which she herself spontaneously thought out. Whatever it was, it was already the first steps to creating a new author's style of dance.

Choice of life path

It can not be said that Dore Angela was struggling to study in the general education school. Rather, on the contrary - she was simply frankly bored. She often ran off from school and walked for hours on the seashore, listening to the slow roar of the elements and watching the waves rolling ashore.

At the age of thirteen the young student decided that she had enough time to spend on the student's bench, and left school. She decided to devote her life undividedly to music and dance. Great luck for a teenage girl without money and patronage was the consent of the dancer Maria Louis Fuller to take her as a student.

In pursuit of fame

Having studied for several years, talented, but impatient Dora Angela goes to conquer Chicago, taking with her mother and brother. At this time, she takes the stage name of Duncan Isadora. But Chicago was not in a hurry to fall at the feet of the new-fashioned dancer, although her performances had some success. But she was completely subjugated by a very specific lover of fine arts in the person of the 45-year-old Ivan Mirozky - an unemployed emigrant from Poland.

If we recall that Isadora did not have 17 years to fulfill at that time, it's easy to imagine how strange and not quite natural the pair was. Her family was not enthusiastic about such a party, but they did not repair any serious obstacles. And to the opinion of the public, Isadora was frankly indifferent.

Cheating the Groom

The novel of Isadora and Myratsky lasted a year and a half. It was a period of real courtship in the spirit of that era. The maximum that a loving couple allowed herself was kissing during joint walks.

Finally, the wedding day was fixed and preparations for the celebrations began. Perhaps in the history would have appeared quite another Isadora Duncan - wife and respectable mother of the family. But this did not happen, because Mirotsky kept a terrible secret - he was already married, and his legal wife lived in London. Shortly before the wedding, her brother learns about this, and the betrothal is dissolved.

Bold decisions

Isadora did not suffer for her unsuccessful marriage, and went to perform in New York. Here she achieved some success. At her improvised dances with pleasure admired in the high society salons. But Duncan knew that it was necessary to move forward.

And then she bypassed the wives of the local rich people and, under various pretexts, begged them for a total of several hundred dollars. This money was enough to buy a place to travel to myself, mother, brother and sister to London. True, it was necessary to go in the hold intended for transportation of cattle, but neither Isadora herself nor her family were spoiled with excesses in life, and therefore they carried this journey fairly tolerably.

On arrival in London, she goes straight to one of the most expensive hotels, pushes the night porter and tells him that they are just off the train and will soon bring their luggage. She orders a room and breakfast, and in the morning they all the family slips away from the hotel, as all the money was spent on the move.

Life is getting better

It was not the last adventure, turned over by a desperate recognition of a dancer. The life of Isadora Duncan is full of witty and extravagant decisions. She took advantage of the surrounding people without a twinge of conscience. This was especially true of men. Isadora systematically honed her art of seduction and, when the opportunity fell, applied it to enthusiastic admirers.

But first of all, Duncan was an actress after all. She wanted to recognize her talent and understood that she could not do without help. And this help came in the face of the then popular actress Campbell, who believed in the promise of fresh style and made Isadora a loud debut as an "exotic dancer" in one of the secular receptions.

Isadora Duncan and Yesenin

In 1921, Duncan received an official invitation to open a dance school in Moscow. She gladly accepted him and with faith in a happy future - her and this great country, which was striving for change, went to Russia.

One day Sergei Yesenin came to the reception, which was arranged in the house of Duncan. So met two bright and unordinary personalities, who immediately rushed to each other with all the fervor and immediacy of their characters.

Marriage

Isadora Duncan and Yesenin quickly became the subject of gossip in the capital and even beyond. They were very different, did not know each other's language, but nevertheless continued to meet. They were not stopped either by a significant age difference, or by the impossibility of simply chatting without an interpreter.

For the first time in many years, Isadora Duncan, freedom-loving, decided to tie herself by the bonds of an official marriage. Yesenin, inebriated by the glory of the chosen one, considered this step quite natural.

Difficulty in Marriage

The idyll of two representatives of bohemia did not last long. There is an opinion that Sergei envied the popularity of his wife. He was ambitious and wanted to be the center of attention himself.

When the first passion passed, he more and more began to notice on the appearance of the spouse the prints left by years lived. Yesenin behaved very rudely with his wife. A lot of unfair and groundless scolding was heard by Isadora Duncan. Whose wife endured as many reproaches? Perhaps, to some extent, she was protected by the fact that she simply did not understand Russian speech. But Yesenin began to allow himself to beat his wife. And it was simply impossible not to understand this appeal.

Divorce was only a matter of time. But even after this, Duncan Isadora, faithful to herself, kept warm feelings to Esenin. She never allowed herself to say something bad or disrespectful to the poet.

Fateful trip

In 1927, Duncan Isedora was in Nice. She was very fond of fast driving and often went on walks in an open car. And on this sunny autumn day she decided to take a ride, as usual. He tied a beautiful scarf around his neck and effectively threw him back, she sat in the car, said goodbye to her friends and ordered the driver to touch. They did not have time to drive far. The end of the scarf hit the spokes of the wheel, tangled in them and broke the woman's neck. So she was overtaken by an inexorable death. Isadora Duncan lived swiftly and ended her life with a deafening chord, the last time loudly declaring herself.