Isadora Duncan in the Theater of Love and War

Saturday, September 6th, 2025 | 7pm

 Jeanne Bresciani & The Isadora Duncan International Institute Dancers

Written & Directed by Jeanne Bresciani, Artist in Residence

Assistant Directed by Rosemary Cooper

Rehearsal Direction by Celeste Royo

Costumes by Janine Stockin, Karen Sanders & Alicia Mugetti

Original Choreographies by Isadora Duncan

Original Choreographies and Reconstructions by Jeanne Bresciani

Tickets Available Now!

On Saturday, September 6th, 2025, Jeanne Bresciani & the Isadora Duncan International Institute Dancers premier a dance-theater production, entitled Isadora Duncan in the Theater of Love and War at the historic Woodstock Playhouse, honoring Isadora and the Isadorables’ profound legacy in the iconic artists’ colony and the greater Hudson Valley during WWI. Featuring a rare reconstruction of Duncan choreography to Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Allegretto, alongside new works, the performance evokes impassioned mission with an urgency surrounding themes of exile, resilience and the coming of age within nature as sanctuary. Set to music by Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and contemporary composers, this theater of love and war conjures Duncan’s experimental vision—where art and spirited movement unite to become a language of hope and liberation. In that very landscape and moment of time that once inspired inconsolable and ecstatic Duncan raptures, the IDII celebrates the timeless power of dance to transcend and transform.

History:

Many do not know the history of Isadora and the six Isadorables in the States and of their prolonged stays in New York City and within the Hudson Valley during WWI. With Isadora, better received in Europe than at home, early in WWI six teenaged girls became her officially adopted children, along with emergency wartime care of many other homeless, refugee children from her school in Europe. The Duncan tenure in the States was sustained by the remarkable support and bountiful spirit of American entrepreneurs and their families along the Hudson River.

Through this production, many shall learn of Isadora’s extraordinary force as inspiratrix of an epoch, iconic in originality and oceanic in scope. She was equally incredible in giving all she possessed, including her precious long-sought school in France as a hospital for the wounded, never to be reclaimed. However, greater still was her leadership drawing forth the United States into WWI with every fiber of her being through startling performances and vivid proclamations to save Europe and civilization itself. From this intense and stirring legacy, the IDII was founded in 1977 by Maria Theresa Duncan and Kay Bardsley, of which you are all a vital part, persisting in its goals educational, cultural, philosophical and theatrical.

Tickets Available Now!

This project is made possible with funds from the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

Help Us Bring the Vision to Life!

The Isadora Duncan International Institute is actively seeking sponsors to support the upcoming premiere of Isadora Duncan in the Theater of Love & War, taking place on September 6, 2025, at the Woodstock Playhouse. We welcome both financial contributions and in-kind donations—such as bubbly, lodging, catering, printing, or services—to help bring this powerful production to life. All sponsors will be recognized in printed programs, digital materials, and pre-show acknowledgments. Your support, at any level, helps sustain the arts in the Hudson Valley and honors Isadora Duncan’s enduring legacy through beauty, movement, and community.

Learn More About Sponsorship Here!