Duncan Dance Chicago at Madron Gallery

Madron Gallery is pleased to announce Duncan Dance Chicago at Madron Gallery, an artist talk and live demonstration on the life and work of Isadora Duncan, on Sunday June 12, 2022 at 2:00 PM. Jennifer Sprowl, Duncan historian, dancer, and Artistic Director of Duncan Dance Chicago, will talk about Isadora Duncan, her life, and her lasting impact on the world of dance. The program will also include a demonstrated sampling of the movement vocabulary that made Duncan world-renowned. Sprowl’s lecture is held in conjunction with the exhibition Perpetual Motion: Abraham Walkowitz Draws Isadora Duncan, now on view at Madron Gallery through June 24th, “See Chicago Dance’s” annual Chicago Dance Month, and what Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has designated the #YearofChicagoDance, which seeks to highlight Chicago’s dance community through a variety of citywide programming.

Perpetual Motion explores the natural inclination of disparate artists (Isadora Duncan, 1878-1927 and Abraham Walkowitz, 1878-1965) and art forms to intertwine, inspire, and transform one another. Abraham Walkowitz and Isadora Duncan were contemporaries, born in the same year and raised on opposite sides of the country. They met for the first time in 1906, in the Paris studio of Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). They would meet again while Duncan was touring the United States in 1908, 1909, 1915, and 1916. It is estimated Walkowitz created over 5,000 drawings of Isadora Duncan throughout the course of his career, endeavoring to capture the essence of Duncan’s movement. Twelve of Walkowitz's original drawings are exhibited alongside a filmed 2016 performance of Varshavianka, a work Duncan choreographed in 1924. The piece was presented by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University Chicago; it was staged and coached by Jennifer Sprowl.

Founded in 2008, Duncan Dance Chicago fosters the education and appreciation of Isadora Duncan’s dance art technique through classes, performances, workshops, and community outreach. Artistic Director Jennifer Sprowl is also a founding member of the Isadora Duncan International Symposium, a teaching artist at the Joffrey Academy, and a faculty member at the Chicago Movement Collective. Sprowl was a principal dancer with the Isadora Duncan Dance Company in NYC and trained directly with Duncan dance luminaries Hortense Kooluris (1914–2007), Julia Levien (1911–2006), and Lori Belilove, all of whose education and training in the Duncan method can be traced back to Isadora Duncan herself. Sprowl and Duncan Dance Chicago performed in 2019 at the Isadora Duncan International Symposium, London, UK.

Madron Gallery’s inventory of paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and prints showcases the breadth and depth of art in the United States from the late 19th century on. Known for its American Impressionist pieces, Madron also features an outstanding and constantly growing collection of modern and contemporary art, aiming to illuminate artistic connections across decades and centuries.

Images courtesy of Duncan Dance Chicago and Madron Gallery