Gluck — Iphigenie en Aulide, Moderato-Allegro (The maidens of Chalkis play at ball and knucklebones)
- Suite: Iphigenie
- Music:
Gluck — Iphigenie en Aulide, Moderato-Allegro
Air Gai / Tambourin from Act III
- Original choreography by: Isadora Duncan (1904)
- Other titles: Knucklebones
Reconstructed by Hortense Kooluris.
Notes
Barbara Kane
Known now as jacks – this dance/game is a joyful sharing of playful competition and beautiful sculptural floor work images/movements.
Nadia Chilkovsky Nahumck
Reference: Nahumck, Nadia Chilkovsky. Isadora Duncan: The Dances. Washington DC: The National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1994.
A game based on ancient graphic and literary references, in which Greek goddesses play with five little stones or the knuckle bones of sheep, tossing them into the air and catching them in various hand positions. A similar game is played by children today using jacks, dice or little stones.
Critics who saw Isadora Duncan perform this solo dance in 1905 were amazed by her ability to enact the parts of several players. Irma Duncan restaged the dance in 1923 with a group of dancers.
Videos
| Title | Date | Dancers | Full Dance? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isadora Duncan Dance Group: Knucklebones | 2003 | Akari and Mina Kozue | Yes | As learned by Barbara Kane from Madeleine Lytton |
Related items in the Archives
The San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design > Programs > Lisa Duncan
The San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design > Programs > Isadora Duncan — Nov 25, 1917
The San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design > Programs > Isadorables — Dec 28, 1919
The Collection of Barbara Kane > Programs > Odile Pyros — Odile Pyros School — Jun 17, 1991
The Collection of Barbara Kane > Programs > Starry Night — Barbara Kane — Dec 20, 1991
The Collection of Janaea Rose Lyn (McAlee) > Artwork > Knucklebones