Etude Révolutionnaire

Ce solo fait partie d’un ensemble de danse, Impressions de Russie, et correspond à l’époque moscovite de Duncan. Celle-ci puise dans les événements historiques, auxquels elle adhère intuitivement, le contenu social et la force de conviction de cette danse

This solo is part of a dance ensemble, Impressions de Russie, and corresponds to Isadora Duncan’s Muscovite period. Duncan draws from historical events, to which she intuitively adheres, the social content and strength of conviction of this dance.

A woman stands upright in the centre of the stage, her hands behind her back. She straightens herself and already her gestures and posture possess the force of a powerful social manifesto. Everything expresses the Promethean struggle: the work gestures on the ground that stir, press the earth, deploy a quality of wrenching away. The successive advances of the woman are like so many insistent breakaways. Marking a pause, she sweeps with her gaze the space around her: the imaginary vision of her fellows returns the image of her own condition. Then her worker’s hands lift her from the ground with clenched fists. She harangues this invisible crowd, her mouth opening to cry out. She surges up again, accentuating the fervour of her broad gestures. In an imaginary confrontation, fists and feet hammer the air, the ground. Their percussive rhythm accelerates until she dramatically frees herself. A future opens up before her. She rushes into it. The dance ends with a last vengeful punch.

Source Dictionnaire de la Danse (CCN – Ballet de Lorraine 2004 – 2005)