イサドラ・ダンカン

―身体が 思想になるとき

English follows-

20世紀のモダンダンスの源流を切り拓いた舞踊家、イサドラ・ダンカン（1877–1927）。

彼女はクラシック・バレエの形式から離れ、裸足で大地に立ち、自然や音楽、そして人間の内なる生命に耳を澄ませながら、「自由な身体」の表現を追求しました。大地、水、風、火、動植物の営みに宿るリズムや生命の動きを身体表現の源泉とし、さらに古代ギリシャ芸術や詩人・思想家たちの思想に学びながら、失われつつあった人間性を舞踊によって取り戻そうとしました。その革新的な思想は、モダンダンスのみならず、芸術教育や身体教育にも大きな影響を与えています。

私たちが横沢エリア（栃木県・那須）にて実施してきた「山のシューレ」は、スイス・アスコーナのモンテ・ヴェリタ（真理の山）に着想を得ています。20世紀初頭、この地には芸術家や思想家、教育者たちが集い、新しい生き方や身体文化を探究する実験的な共同体が生まれました。その歩みをあらためて辿るなかで、イサドラ・ダンカンもまた、この地を訪れていたことを知りました。

本レクチャーでは、彼女が目指した「身体と精神の調和」という思想、自然と人間との深い結びつきを見つめ直すまなざしについて紐解きます。

ダンス史としてだけではなく、身体、教育、女性の自立、自然、そして芸術の未来について、ともに考える時間となれば幸いです。

身体を通して人は何を学び、何を表現できるのか。

イサドラ・ダンカンの思想は、100年以上を経た今なお、私たちの「学び」と「生き方」を静かに問いかけています。

"Dance is the secret language of the soul."　ー Isadora Duncan

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開催日
2026年9月11日（金）19時15分 ー 21時15分

　レクチャー：19時15分 ー 20時15分（英語）
　交流会：20時30分 ー 21時00分
 　
＊開場 18時50分
＊終了時間は前後する可能性がございます。
＊講座は基本英語で行われます。通訳はありませんので予めご理解ください。

会場
ギャラリー册
〒102-0074 東京都千代田区九段南2-1-17 パークマンション千鳥ヶ淵1F

講師
 Jeanne Bresciani（ジーン・ブレシアニ）博士

プロフィール：

イサドラ・ダンカンの養女マリア＝テレサ・ダンカンの薫陶を受け、その芸術と思想を受け継ぐ世界有数の継承者・研究者・教育者。

ニューヨーク大学にてダンス史・ダンス研究の修士号および博士号を取得。イサドラ・ダンカンに関する研究を生涯のテーマとし、ニューヨーク大学では世界初となるダンカン教育の正規プログラムを創設しました。

現在は、1977年に設立された Isadora Duncan International Institute（IDII） の芸術監督・教育ディレクターを務め、舞踊家、振付家、教育者として、アメリカ、ヨーロッパ、アジアを中心に公演・講演・教育活動を展開しています。

その活動はリンカーン・センター、英国博物館をはじめ世界各地で高く評価され、2021年にはUNESCO World Philosophical Forumより「Citizen of the Earth Award」を受賞するなど、芸術・教育・文化交流の分野で国際的に活躍しています。

協賛

Ms. Junko Yamashita
Ms. Seiko Fukuda

協力

The members of IDII Japan:
Yuki, Naoko, and Miho

Isadora Duncan

When the Body Becomes Thought

Isadora Duncan (1877–1927), the pioneering dancer who helped shape the origins of modern dance, fundamentally transformed our understanding of movement and the human body.

Breaking away from the rigid conventions of classical ballet, she danced barefoot upon the earth, listening deeply to nature, music, and the inner life of the human spirit. She drew inspiration from the rhythms and movements of the earth, water, wind, fire, plants, and animals, while also learning from ancient Greek art, poets, and philosophers. Through dance, she sought to restore the deeper humanity she believed modern society was gradually losing. Her revolutionary vision profoundly influenced not only modern dance but also art education and new ways of understanding the human body.

Our Mountain Schule, held in the Yokozawa area of Nasu, Tochigi, was inspired by Monte Verità ("Mountain of Truth") in Ascona, Switzerland. In the early twentieth century, this remarkable place became a gathering point for artists, thinkers, and educators seeking new ways of living, learning, and understanding the body. As we explored its history, we discovered that Isadora Duncan herself had also spent time at Monte Verità, where her ideas resonated with a community searching for new ways of living, learning, and understanding the body.

In this lecture, we will explore Duncan's vision of the harmony between body and spirit, her profound relationship with nature, and the enduring relevance of her ideas for education, creativity, and human flourishing.

Rather than viewing her simply as a pioneering dancer, we will consider her as a thinker whose work continues to inspire reflection on the body, education, women's independence, nature, and the future of art.

What can we learn—and express—through the body?

More than a century later, Isadora Duncan's philosophy continues to challenge us to rethink how we learn, create, move, and live.

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."
— Isadora Duncan

Date & Time 

Friday, September 11, 2026
7:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.

• Lecture: 7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. (in English)
• Reception & Networking: 8:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Doors open at 6:50 p.m.
Please note that the schedule may be subject to slight changes.
Please note that the lecture will be delivered in English. Interpretation will not be provided.

Venue

Gallery Satsu
Park Mansion Chidorigafuchi 1F
2-1-17 Kudan-minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0074, Japan

Participation Fee

JPY 8,000 (plus tax)

Light refreshments and drinks included.

Speaker

Jeanne Bresciani, Ph.D.

Education

M.A. (Williams College & The Clark Art Institute, Kress Fellow)
History of Art & Museumship

• Thesis: The Transformation of Eros in Late 18th Century Art

M.A. (New York University, Fulbright Scholar)
Dance & Dance History

• Research: To Brazil In Search of the Original Amazon Women
• Thesis: The Isadora Duncan Unpublished Library in the Victor Seroff Collection

I.M.A. Certificate Program
(Archetypal Psychology / Laban Studies)

• Under the direct supervision of James Hillman, in the prelude program prior to the founding of Pacifica Graduate Institute
• Research: Isis to Isadora

Ph.D. (New York University)

• Dissertation: Myth and Image in the Dance of Isadora Duncan

Artistic Lineage

Jeanne Bresciani, the principal protégée of Maria-Theresa Duncan, adopted daughter of Isadora Duncan, is internationally recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on Isadora Duncan's life, works, and performance repertoire.

Her artistic lineage encompasses years of intensive study and performance with Hortense Kooluris and Julia Levien, heirs to the Anna and Irma Duncan tradition, as well as childhood dance training and a young adulthood internship with Anita Zahn, a student of Isadora Duncan and of the Elizabeth Duncan School.

Current Position

Jeanne Bresciani serves as Artistic Director and Director of Education of the Isadora Duncan International Institute, Inc. (IDII), founded in 1977 by Maria-Theresa Duncan, "the last dancing Isadorable," and Kay Bardsley.

This year marks the Institute's 50th Anniversary.

Artistic & Educational Contributions

Jeanne Bresciani is recognized nationally and internationally as a solo performer, reconstructionist, choreographer, educator, and scholar of unparalleled authority on Isadora Duncan.

Drawing upon the artistic, choreographic, and theatrical legacy of the Muses, she has illuminated Duncan's unique achievement of creating choreographic masterpieces inspired by the great periods and masterworks of art, from Classical Antiquity through Modernism.

This work has evolved into her concept of "Choreosyntheses," integrating music and dance—both ancient and timeless—into an artistic expression that is at once contemporary, eclectic, and deeply refined.

As Faculty at New York University, she developed the first accredited Duncan training programs in the world, thereby expanding Duncan Studies throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe.

She also serves as:

• Founding Chair of the Festival for the Reinstatement of the Delphic Games in Greece, in collaboration with the Delphic Ecumenical Union and Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies.
• A contributing artistic leader in the ongoing development of Carnevale di Venezia and the Serenissima Circle in Italy, both involving broad international participation.

Awards & Recognition

Jeanne Bresciani is the recipient of numerous honors, including:

UNESCO World Philosophical Forum

• Citizen of the Earth Award (2021)

Universal Delphic Union

• The Tenth Muse Golden Award (2016)

Projects of the Isadora Duncan International Institute have received support from:

• National Endowment for the Arts
• Alexander S. Onassis Foundation
• Jerome L. Greene Foundation
• American Embassy in Athens

Performances & Lectures

Her performances have spanned four continents, appearing at venues including:

• Lincoln Center
• The British Museum
• The Joyce Theatre
• Seoul Olympic Games (1988)
• Archaeological sites throughout Greece and Sicily

She has also lectured extensively at leading universities and international institutions, including:

• The British Museum
• Columbia University
• Harvard University
• Yale University
• The Freud Dream Museum
• The Pushkin Library
• New York Center for Jungian Studies
• United Nations

Sponsors

Ms. Junko Yamashita
Ms. Seiko Fukuda

In Cooperation With

The members of IDII Japan:
Yuki, Naoko, and Miho