Rational and irrational in the dance of Isadora Duncan

This study analyzes Isadora Duncan’s creative activity in the aspect of philosophical anthropology. The American dancer anticipated the integration of Nouveau era into choreography. Duncan’s dance reflected the crisis of not only ballet art, but also Western European culture in the early 20th century. Rejecting the traditions of classical ballet, she expressed the spiritual quest of an entire generation in the new natural plastic. A comparative method and content analysis revealed that Duncan shared Nietzsche’s views on dance, religion, morality and the new type of man. She embodied on the stage the search for harmony between the Dionysian and Apollonian sides of existence, the search for rational and irrational. The dance for her was a kind of philosophical way of proclaiming the value of life itself.