|
Lori
Belilove’s direct lineage and prestigious performing
career have earned her an international reputation as the
premier interpreter and ambassador of the dance of Isadora
Duncan.
Belilove
was raised in Berkeley, California by artistic,
free-thinking parents. While traveling as a young teen in
Europe, she was introduced to the Duncan technique by Vassos
Kanellos, a Greek classical revivalist and colleague of
Isadora Duncan. Thoroughly inspired by the spirit and ideals
of Isadora Duncan, Lori immersed herself in Duncan dance.
Curious about the myths surrounding Duncan’s controversial
reputation as an artist, Lori began a worldwide search to
find Duncan dancers who trained and performed with Isadora
and who taught Isadora’s dances and technique. Among those
teachers were Anna Duncan and Irma Duncan, two of the six
adopted artistic daughters of Isadora.
Making
a home for her dreams, Ms. Belilove founded the Isadora
Duncan Foundation for Contemporary Dance in New York City to
house her school and performing company. Lori also trained
extensively in yoga, ballet, and modern dance, with a
special emphasis in the technique of the renowned
choreographer Doris Humphrey. Through her performances,
master classes, and workshops, children, college students
and professional dancers have experienced the purity,
timelessness, authentic phrasing, and musicality that has
been passed down to Lori through the direct line of Isadora
Duncan dancers.
Within
a few years, Belilove and her company drew the attention of
sponsors of the arts leading to invitations to perform
nationally and internationally. After highly acclaimed
performances in Brazil, her performances at the Castro Alves
Theater were made into a TV special that was broadcast
throughout South America. Belilove was in demand, appearing
as a solo guest artist with the Oakland Ballet at Zellerbach
Hall, UC Berkeley, performing as the definitive Duncan
Dancer for the conference of the Society of Dance History
Scholars at UC Irvine, and touring her one-woman shows
throughout the United States. Highlights of these
performances included Duncan’s signature works Dance
of the Furies, The
Blue Danube, and Alexander Scriabin’s etudes Mother
and Revolutionary.
As
a master teacher Belilove has held residencies at such
prestigious institutions as Harvard University, The
Juilliard School, Northwestern University, Ohio State
University, Mills College, and Smith College. Every year
since 1996, Lori has taught a special master class for
Deborah Jowitt, dance critic of the Village Voice, at New
York University. She is in her seventh year on the faculty
of the Dalcroze Institute at The Juilliard School, and
through Ball State University, Lori is the recipient of a
grant from Dance/USA to implement a Duncan curriculum. Lori
is the leading dancer in the award-winning documentary
Isadora Duncan: Movement From the Soul narrated by stage
and screen actress Julie Harris.
Belilove
is sought after as a unique contemporary artist who
understands the essence of Isadora and who can create works
in her own voice. Among her original works is the powerful
and moving tribute to Duncan, Isadora
Deconstructed (Brahms) for the all-male Ballet
Trockadero de Monte Carlo. For her own company,
Garden Promised (Morricone) was commissioned by and
performed at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Most
recently, the troupe performed Belilove’s For
the Living (to Mozart’s Requiem Mass) at the
Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse (Hunter College) and her
exuberant Skye Dance
(Fraser/Machlis) at the Untermyer Performing Arts Festival.
Belilove created On
the Beautiful Blue Danube, a group Duncan work faithful
to the original solo, as well as Club
101, a complete departure from Duncanesque movement that
shows off Belilove’s versatility, to the funky fusion
music of the Beastie Boys. In 2002 the company will be
presented at Swarovski exhibitions and events all over the
world.
Today,
Lori Belilove presides over a dance organization that is
financially and creatively invigorated. She maintains a
studio in New York City and is considered an important
source for the documentation and interpretation of the
Duncan technique and repertory. Her passion is to share her
uniquely expressive qualities as she performs throughout the
world carrying on the Duncan Legacy.
The
Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation
Not
Affiliated With The Isadora Duncan International Center For
Dance, Ltd. Shain Stodt, Artistic Director
141
W. 26th St., 3rd Floor, New York, NY
10001
p:
212.691.5040
f: 212.627.0774
e: info@isadoraduncan.org
www.isadoraduncan.org
|
