Freedom. Beauty. Death. Revolution. Isadora Duncan lived them and transformed them through her great art. A stunning dance/theater production of her life story told through brilliant, authentic reconstructions of her most famous dances.

Premiered at The Capital Fringe Festival, Washington DC; July 9, 10, 12, 15, 25, 2009. Presented at Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston, S.C.; June 1, 2, 3, 4, 2010 and Dance Place, Washington DC; June 26, 27, 2010

Reviews

“Light, skipping steps and yearning, beckoning arm gestures dominate the dance numbers, earnestly rendered by Valerie Durham, Ingrid Zimmer and company Artistic Director Cynthia Word, all clad in billowing fabrics. Thus, the relatively fraught, clenched-fist opener, "Revolutionary Etude" (set to music by Scriabin and performed on Sunday by Zimmer), stands out -- seeming to embody Duncan's iconoclasm.”
- Celia Wren, The Washington Post

“Word shined in Ave Maria, a solo set to the Schubert score. To take such spare, minimal movement and imbue it with emotional intensity is a major triumph."
- Sarah Halzack, The Washington Post

"Equally as innovative [as modern dance's] firebrand, Isadora Duncan."
- Stephanie Kaye, NPR Arts Beat

“Seeing work of this caliber…is the ultimate Fringe experience. Go, dance, fly.”
- Debbie Jackson, DC Theater Scene

“The dancers show us that Duncan dancing is an endpoint in itself; staunch Revolutionary Etude with its muscular attack; churning, roiling turmoil unleashed in Flames of the Heart; steadfast timelessness in Ave Maria poignant and profound."
- Lisa Traiger, Danceview Times

“The Dances of Isadora Duncan provided a rare treat for Washington audiences… The works, mostly solos, were brilliantly performed by Cynthia Word, Valerie Durham and Ingrid Zimmer."
- Barbara Allen, The Washington Post

“Cynthia Word used her physical attributes and artistry, to become three beings simultaneously:  everywoman, enactor of a ritual, and the refined Miss Ruth (as St. Denis is familiary known). What a powerfully subtle performance!"
- George Jackson, Danceview Times

“Isadora Duncan was a radical feminist nearly a century before the term came into vogue. She was an iconoclastic dancer who broke from the strictures of ballet and the dance hall to create a performing style that became the precursor to modern dance."
- Lisa Traiger, The Washington Post