Isadora Duncan

by Jérôme Bel

choreography Isadora Duncan

dance Elisabeth Schwartz, with Chiara Gallerani

production R.B. Jérôme Bel

co-producers La Commune Centre Dramatique National d’Aubervilliers, Les Spectacles Vivants – Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Festival d’Automne à Paris, R.B. Jérôme Bel (Paris), Tanz im August/ HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen)

with the support of Centre National de la Danse (CND) (Pantin) within the scope of their artist-in-residence program, MC93 (Bobigny), Ménagerie de Verre (Paris) within the context of Studiolab for having provided the venue.

R.B. Jérôme Bel is supported by the Regional Directorate of Culture of Ile-de-France of the French Ministry of Culture.

With this choreography conceived for Elizabeth Schwartz, Jérôme Bel – one of the most important choreographers and artists of the contemporary scene – continues his multi-year project on portraits of renowned dancers, focusing this time on Isadora Duncan, an absolute pioneer of modern dance.

“Isadora Duncan embodies a new freedom not only for choreographic art but also for the female condition. Her tumultuous life made her a heroine and captivated an era, likely contributing to the extraordinary radiance of her name and legend throughout the world. With her bare feet, her delicate “Grecian tunics, and her freedom of movement – that is to say, free from any known technique – she imposed a new idea of dance that rests on invention, improvisation, and the harmony of body and spirit.” – Jérôme Bel

“Blending discursive and sensitive styles, spoken moments and danced solos, the performance brings to life the memory of free dance, associating choreographic know-how with the experience of the spectacle.” – Florian Gaité, for the Festival d'Automne de Paris, 2019