#90 CHEOGRAPHER SISTER-IN-LAW--the Duncans Part 3

 Distant cousin, Margherita Sargent, came from a respected, stable Boston family. Her parents were married for over fifty years, her father, Rodulphus, was a noted Boston dentist who practiced for over 60 years and until he was almost 80.

When Margherita married Augustin Duncan, she became part of an artistic and intellectual, but also a quite unorthodox, family. Augustin was considered the anchor for his siblings—brother Raymond and sisters, Elizabeth and Isadora.  Their parents were Joseph Duncan and Dora Gray. Dora divorced Joseph after the 1878 bank scandal, and she raised their four children alone and was devoted to giving them “perfect freedom.” Their childhoods were creative and unconventional with a focus on a progressive education and an emphasis on creativity and intellect. Augustin, for example, was allowed to build a stage in the barn and perform plays with his younger brother; rooms in the house were cleared for the girls’ dancing and athletics. Dora read classic poetry to her children, sang them Norwegian folksongs, engaged a dancing master to encourage movement, and allowed them to leave school very early to teach in her dance school.

                                                 Augustin, Elizabeth, Raymond, Dora

Isadora

                                                            ELIZABETH DUNCAN

Elizabeth Duncan, born in San Francisco on Nov 8, 1871, was the eldest of the siblings. With her mother’s encouragement, she left school at age 11, to teach dance. Her career took her and her siblings to London and Paris. It was in Germany in 1904 that Elizabeth bought a villa in Berlin, opened a “school of free dance”, and ran it as a boarding school for 20 students. The school's ideas and methodology started to spread throughout Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, England and Russia

When the Grand Duke of Hesse, a grandson of Queen Victoria, heard that Elizabeth's school was in financial difficulty, he gave her land on his Marienhoehe estate in Darmstadt to build a dance school. 

 During World War 1, the school transferred to New York; Elizabeth advocated for bringing children orphaned by war to study in the United States. Elizabeth returned to Europe after the war, and since her Darmstadt school was lost in the war, she set up her headquarters in Austria, with schools and courses offered in Prague, Vienna and Italy. the Munich school was forced out by the Nazis. Her school reopened in 1946. 

Elizabeth had attempted a career in performance but had only moderate success. After an accident in 1922, Elizabeth could not dance anymore but redirected her passion to teaching. 

She demanded intellectual and physical rigour from her students. Some students stayed at the school year-round; others came for the summertime or stayed only two or three months. Classes were in the castle dancing rooms and in the outdoor meadows. There was always a pianist for the dancing lessons, and an orchestra when students performed in public. At performances, children and grownups danced together. Not only were students taught dance but also gymnastics, singing, painting and all basic school subjects; they were exposed to classical music, art, museums Her students called her "Tante" and seemed to love her very much. She was kind, and just, although a strict teacher.

                                                        Elizabeth with her students 1928

Elizabeth dedicated her life to the development of modern dance, both as an organizer and educator. The Duncan style of dance emphasized natural movement, emotional expression and a connection to classical music and nature. Unlike the rigid, formal techniques of ballet and the artificiality of theatrical dance trends, the Duncan style emphasized natural movement, emotional expression and a deep connection to nature and music. The Duncan style was based on everyday body movements like skipping, running and walking; movements were often expansive, free and organic and showed a connection to the earth; performances were to be emotional and often drew from themes of love, joy, sorrow and rebellion, aiming to “resonate with audiences on a visceral level.”  

The Duncan style was influenced by ancient Greek art, culture and philosophy so dancers often performed barefoot (emphasizing a grounded connection to the earth) and wore simple, flowing tunics like ancient Greek attire (to allow dancers to move freely and showcase the natural lines of the body.)  Music was the cornerstone of the Duncan style so dancers often performed to classical composers like Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert; movements were designed to harmonize with the musical phrasing, creating a seamless fusion of sound and emotion. The Duncan style often drew inspiration from natural elements like the wind, waves and trees. While not entirely unstructured, the Duncan style encouraged improvisation over rigid choreography, and the soft, flowing and continuous movements avoided the sharp angular motions often associated with classical ballet.

Elizabeth wanted people to dance creatively and naturally. How to teach this dance? By observing nature which conveys free movements, by developing the imagination, by listening to music sensitively and learning to respond to it. Music moves the body and mind equally; it should motivate people to move rhythmically and to feel moved by it; thus the selection of the music was important.

"Now to the body. Can we shape our bodies into beautiful and aligned postures? Only a few of us are gifted. The rest need to work on it. Since Christianity was introduced, we have become used to neglecting our bodies. The body is regarded as sinful. We have lost contact with nature for over a hundred years and have lost the ability to move in a harmonious way. We have destroyed our imagination and the prospect of the existence of a perfected human being. Our children are deprived of a life with nature and with animals therefore they are no longer able to freely gallop around. Their bodies are weak, their breathing is poor; they don't enjoy leaping, skipping, singing anymore. Free play has been replaced. This has had an effect on children's bodies and minds...We of the Elizabeth Duncan School have to deal with blockages and weaknesses prior to building up renewed strength. This must happen slowly and gradually by means of a method which leads the student to inner freedom, to an improved self-confidence, to change, and to a feeling of unity with one's surroundings through dance.

                                                                 Elizabeth

Elizabeth continued to teach and advocate for the Duncan dance style her entire life. Never as charismatic or flamboyant as her younger sister, Isadora, Elizabeth took on the more practical and behind-the-scenes roles, including teaching, administration and fundraising for the Duncan Schools. Elizabeth kept alive her sister's vision after Isadora's sudden death.

 

Elizabeth, aged 77, died November 30, 1948 at Tuebingen in the French zone of Germany. Her body was cremated and sent to Paris for burial beside her mother and sister in the Pere-la-Chaise Cemetery.

Elizabeth Duncan                                                                                                                                           b. Nov 8, 1871 in San Francico, California                                                                                               d. Nov. 30, 1948 in Tubingen, Baden-Wuettemberg, Germany                                                                            sister-in-law of 4th cousin 3x removed (Netterfield-Kenney line)