The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-12-17
AMERICANS DON'T KNOW ART.
lsadora Duncan Declares That Is Rea.
son Her DANCING Was Not Success.

lsadora Duncan Declares That Is Rea.
son Her Dancing Was Not Success.
New York, Dec. 11.-Isadora Duncan
started on her return to Europe on
the liner Lusitania. After a long stay
in Paris she will go to Egypt to re-
main until next spring. She was ac-
companied by her brother, Augustin
Duncan. The two will prepare new
combination of dancing-Greek trag-
edy and music--which will be seen in
London next fall. Augustin Duncan
will read the tragedies, or parts of
them, and Miss Duncan will interpret
the choruses in dancing. The dancer
is not sure that she will return to this
country.
People ask me if I'm not proud of
my success here" Miss Duncan said
before she went to the steamer, land
must admit that am, so far as the
public is concerned. | have had large
audiences everywhere. With the men
and women who are supposed to be
representative of the world of art,
however | had a different experience.
The Metropolitan opera house prac-
tically closed it's doors on me. When
wanted to give my dances there |
was told that the opera house was
constantly in use for rehearsals and
that ] need not apply.
81 do represent something in Europe,
even if my own people do not appreci-
ate it. Nine. Wagner invited me to
Beyreuth to take part in the festival
ballets. In Germany the royal opera
houses are placed at my disposal,
while in st. Petersburg the Imperial
opera house, which has the most won
derful ballet in the world and cher
ishes the dance as no other theater in
the world does, is always at my dis
posal.
"The Metropolitan house not only
refused to allow me to do my dances
there but within short time after
ward gave on it's own responsibility a
performance of dancing in imitation of
mine. Loie Fuller has got together all
the women who have been initiating
me in the European music halls for
the last five or six years.
But l don't mind in the least being
| initiated. | have not studied fifteen
years to recreate the art of dancing
merely for the sake of doing it myself.
But | do object to the caricatures that
these women are making of my art.
After two or three weeks of study they
start out to do what it's taken me fif-
teen years to learn.
II danced last year in Paris for four
months, four or five times week, and
always had great audiences composed
| of the foremost French actors, writ
ers, and artists. There my art was
taken seriously and there was some
understanding of what | was trying to
do, Here, whenever / danced | would
read in the newspapers statement to
the effect that Miss Duncan danced in
| the diaphaneous draperies the after
noon or evening before to the music
of Mr.. Damrosch's orchestra. Just as
much seems to be written about the
other women who danced. What
have accomplished goes for nothing.
| 81 don't come to America for the
purpose of making money, and didn't
make much here. | know that | can
not keep dancing forever and | feel
that this art which I have perfected
and made so beloved in Europe ought
to be brought to my own people while
I was still in my youth. I can make
more money by living in my house in
Paris and dancing there few times
every week and travelling to the other
cities. But l thought that there would
be some sort of recognition of what
had accomplished by the persons sup
posed to be in authority in art here
Miss Duncan was asked If it were
true that she had refused to appear
on a program last summer in Paris
with anna Pavlova, the Russian dane
er. She denied it.