Chopin — Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1 "Military Polonaise"
- Music:
Chopin — Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1 "Military Polonaise"
- Original choreography by: Isadora Duncan (c. 1914)
- Categories: heroic dances
Reconstructed by Hortense Kooluris.
Notes
Nadia Chilkovsky Nahumck
Reference: Nahumck, Nadia Chilkovsky. Isadora Duncan: The Dances. Washington DC: The National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1994.
A solo figure strides about the stage as though to survey the scene of battle.
Measures 9-40: Thematic material is stated by the soloist and later repeated by the group as a way of marking time—advancing, retreating and advancing again.
Measures 41-64: The soloist signals group members to enter and aggressively form a phalanx for a strong advance, attack and rapid exit.
Measures 65-88: Here is suggested a new, triumphal entrance of the group to affirm solidarity and allegiance to a common cause, represented by an imaginary flag in the center of a unifying circle.
In 1920 the six Isadorables, together for the last time, performed this dance int he United States as an encore. In the 1978 Shubert Theater performance in Philadelphia, Hortense Kooluris skillfully waved an oversized red scarf to direct the group action. One end of the scarf was tucked undert he waistband of her tunic, leaving the other end free to simulate a flag.
Videos
| Title | Date | Dancers | Full Dance? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| isadoraNOW excerpts | 2009-08-23 | Yes | ||
| Hortense Kooluris Memorial Tribute | 2007-08-01 | No | ||
| Dances by Isadora: Military Polonaise | 2005 | Loretta Thomas | Yes | |
| Isadora and the American Jewish Intelligentsia | 2000 | Cathleen Deutscher, Catherine Gallant, Beth Jucovy, Debra Orenstein, Adrienne Ramm | Yes | |
| DDD Performance at Mountain View, CA | 1994-03-25 | Ann Cogley, Ensemble | Yes | |
| Isadora Duncan's 110th Birthday Celebration | 1987 | Jeanne Bresciani | Yes | Group part done as solo |
| DFI Cunningham | 1980 | Jeanne Bresciani, Judith Ann Landon, Adrienne Ramm | Yes | |
| Isadora Duncan Repertory Dance Company performs the Military Polonaise | 1979 | Yes | ||
| Hortense Kooluris Collection | 1978 | Hortense Kooluris | Yes | Start of Dress Rehearsal, February 1978 |
| Sylvia Gold performs the Military Polonaise | 1977 | Sylvia Gold | Yes | |
| Tribute to Isadora Duncan, Hortense Kooluris and Dancers at the World Trade Center | 09/14/1987 | Lori Belilove, Jeanne Bresciani, Beth Jucovy, Marilyn Klaus, Hortense Kooluris, Judith Ann Landon, Mark Trider, Deborah Monlux | Yes |
Related items in the Archives
The San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design > Programs > Isadorables — Dec 28, 1919
The Collection of Christy Cornell-Pape > Programs > Isadora Duncan Dancers — Nov 18, 1929
The Collection of Mignon Garland > Programs > Isadora Duncan Dancers in Minneapolis — 1930
The Collection of Mignon Garland > Programs > The Isadora Duncan Dance Memorial, 1952 — Dec 14, 1952
The Collection of Barbara Kane > Programs > Isadora Duncan Dancers — Nov 13, 1929
The Collection of Barbara Kane > Programs > Isadora Duncan Centenary Dance Company — Jun 24, 1978
The Collection of Janaea Rose Lyn (McAlee) > Programs > Irma Duncan — Isadora Duncan Dancers
The Isadora Duncan Archive Collection > Programs > Isadora Duncan in the 21st Century — Jan 20, 2017