‘My Body My Dance,’ asserts Duncan Dance, reinterpreting the shock from a century ago

The New Duncan Dance Project reimagines Isadora Duncan’s work for today while preserving the legacy of the “mother of modern dance” – in her 1891-1913 heyday, one of the first to push back against the norms and restraints of classical ballet. “Some of the choreography in our repertoire is her choreography. Other parts have been modified for our bodies today,” project co-director Sandy Zarotney Keldson said. In the upcoming “My Body My Dance,” the group presents Duncan’s work within the context of current events. “Duncan was very vocal about her beliefs, specifically about bodily autonomy and women’s rights. When we were conceptualizing this concert we chose dances that connected to those beliefs,” co-director Kelli Edwards said. “With bodily autonomy being stripped away and funding for the arts being cut left, right and center, we believe it is so important to share this work.” Edwards said the nine project dancers, of varying ages, personify the question Duncan sought to answer: What are we allowed to do with our body?” 

This piece originally ran in Cambridge Day