Isadora

“There was never a place for [Isadora Duncan] in the ranks of the terrible, slow army of the cautious. She ran ahead, where there were no paths.” — Dorothy Parker

In 1899, performing in the drawing rooms of London’s elite, Isadora Duncan was already laying the foundations for modern dance. The 22-year-old’s movements were visceral, free-flowing, and expressive; she performed barefoot. She shattered the conventions of traditional ballet and, in doing so, enchanted high society. A year later, in Paris, she met the sculptor Auguste Rodin, whose work proved a revelation, and the influential dancer Loie Fuller, whose support marked the beginning of a dazzling on-stage career.

In Isadora, Julie Birmant and Clément Oubrerie capture the astonishing life and scandalous times of the so-called “Mother of Modern Dance.” This extraordinary graphic novel takes in her arrival in Europe, her rise to stardom and the development of a style of dance – inspired by natural forms and Greek sculpture – that would become her enduring legacy.

About the Author

Julie Birmant is a writer and filmmaker. She has made documentaries on popular science for the RTBF (Radio Television Belge Francophone) and co-edited a number of issues of the Journal of Alternative Theatre. She writes plays and produces documentaries for France-Culture. Birmant lives in Paris, France.

About the Illustrator

Clément Oubrerie is a French artist. Born in Paris in 1966, he has illustrated over 40 books. He studied graphic arts at the ESAG before spending two years in the US, where he published his first children's books. His first graphic novel, Aya: Life in Yop City, was published in 2005. Aya won the First Book Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, the Children's Africana Book Award and the Glyph Award. It was also nominated for the Quill Award, the YALSA Great Graphic Novels list and the Eisner Award, as well as making best-of lists in The Washington Post, Booklist, Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal.