Isadora Duncan was an early pioneer of modern dance in the early 20th century. She believed dance should be a natural expression of the soul through movement, rejecting rigid ballet styles. Marija Magazinovic was influenced by Duncan's philosophies after taking her dance classes, and went on to establish modern dance in Serbia. She developed a philosophy that movement should express the harmony of the individual through pure, abstract forms inspired by Greek styles. Both Duncan and Magazinovic viewed dance as a means of liberating and empowering women through spontaneity and freedom of expression.

1. MODERN DANCE PHILOSOPHY
Isadora Duncan’s influence on work of Maga
Magazinovic

2. “The dancer of the future will be one
whose body and soul have grown so
harmoniously together that the natural
language of that soul will have become
the movement of the body. This is the
mission of the dancer of the future. She is
coming, the dancer of the future: the free
spirit, who will inhabit the body of new
women; more glorious than any woman
that has yet been; more beautiful than all
women in past centuries: The highest
intelligence in the freest body.”

3. ISADORA DUNCAN
(1878 - 1927) the founder of western modern dance
• As a child she had been taught conventional
dance steps and could easily have made a
profitable career in music hall. But it became
her mission to elevate dance into a language
of liberation and transformation, to make it a
vehicle for big emotions, big ideas and great
art.
• Duncan was a natural mover and she had
reserves of obsessive energy. For inspiration
she read the Greek poets, Nietzsche and
Havelock Ellis.
• For music she chose Beethoven, Chopin,
Wagner - great romantic composers who
had never previously been used for the
dance stage.

4. ISADORA DUNCAN’S
MODERN DANCE PHILOSOPHY
Her words :
“Nature is the source of the dance. The
movement of the waves, of winds, of the earth is
ever in the same lasting harmony. We do not
stand on the beach and inquire of the ocean
what was its movement of the past and what will
be its movement in the future. Every creature
moves according to its nature … that is
according to its feelings and physical
structure. The movements of the savage were
natural and beautiful. So too were the
movements of the classical Greeks wearing
simple tunics and sandals.
“In my school, I shall not teach the children to
imitate my movements …but to make their own.
The primary or fundamental movements of the
new school of the dance must have within them
the seeds from which will evolve all other

5. ISADORA DUNCAN’S DANCING
RARE VIDEO

6. Innovation in dance practice by Isadora Duncan :
developing and labeling a concept of natural breathing, which she identified
with the ebb and flow of ocean waves.
defining movement based on natural and spiritual laws rather than on formal
considerations of geometric space. Barefoot dancing and loose hair.
rigorously comparing dance to the other arts, defending it as a primary art
form worthy of "high art" status.
developing a philosophy of the dance – dance as art and not as
entertainment
deemphasizing scenery and costumes in favor of a simple stage setting and
simple costumes. By doing this, Duncan suggested that watching a dancer
dance was enough.
“My motto is: no limits. Virtuous people are simply those who have not been tempted
sufficiently”
ISADORA DUNCAN’S
MODERN DANCE PHILOSOPHY

7. MARIJA MAGA MAGAZINOVIC
(1882-1968) Serbian philosopher, first modern dancer and
activist
Initiator of free dance in Serbia, socialist and
humanist; the first female trainee at the
National Library, the first woman journalist in
Politika newspaper; class teacher at the
Higher Women's School, a professor of
philosophy at the First Girls' High School;
nurse during the Balkan wars; studied acting
at the Max Reinhardt School and ballet in
Charlotte Shniter St in Munich, attended
classes of free dancing of Isadora Duncan;
learned the play at Dalkroz; listened to
lectures Lenin and Plekhanov in Zurich;
established a school for contemporary
plastics; dancer, choreographer, teacher;
author of several books on rhythm and ballet;
founder of the Student folk group with whom
she toured Europe. Retired as a professor at
the gymnasium; Retired led folklore group in
Abraševiću and taught in Ballet school, mother

8. Through it all I've gone trough dance as art and I loved it
more than just acting. The plays are always expressions of
another person. In dance you express only yourself. ” ,
Maga’s experience from Isadora’s classes
Maga Magazinović wanted to penetrate and comprehend
the reasons for animosity Isadora Duncan to the classic
dance.
Basically essential closeness of the two famous artist M.
Magazinović and I. Duncan is understanding a woman and
her social position. Of course, let spontaneity modern
woman for whom they were fighting, whether it's about
deconstructing the codes of social behavior, which are
always imposed by a rigid form of behavior women in a
man's world, or spontaneity in a performance, essentially
had the same goal - the liberation of women of solid
discipline that limit its expression and presentation.
Maga Magazinović researches plastic aspects of movement
which are pure and abstract and aimed at incarnating the
harmony of the individual, achieved through pure forms of
movement. Characteristic clothing and transparent white
fabrics, which remind one of Greek togas, point to the
influence of Isidora Duncan. As with Isidora Duncan, Maga
Magazinović's dance fragments incarnate and emphasize
natural female beauty and spirituality.
ISADORA DUNCAN’S INFLUENCE ON
WORK OF MAGA MAGAZINOVIC

9. From Maga’s book “ My life”

10. MAGA MAGAZINOVIC
CONTRIBUTION TO SERBIAN MODERN
DANCE
Work Mage Magazinović left a deep imprint in the
understanding not only of modern dance, emancipation of
women and gender equality, but also in access to physical
culture in all its domains. Gymnastics is also seen as the
oldest and the most modern system of physical culture,
who demanded the harmony of body and soul. For Maga
Magazinović, physicality is an expression of spirituality.
In revising national dances, Maga Magazinović includes
the folklorist experience of the Serbian and South Slav
dances, filtered, cleansed and transformed through the
experience of modern dance.
Ms. Magazinović - Gesemann believes that we Yugoslavs
have in our customs, knightly games and songs so many
motives for the realization of plastic beauty and so much
talent for the art of the game, we could of course borrowing
what is best, state of the art with other cultural people,
build our racial , body, Yugoslav culture and artistic play.
She says that for us it is not required Russian ballet, which
in itself is wonderful, but we are alien and strange,
because in the history of artistic culture, we did not even
baroque rococo epoch from which the French classical
ballet, and of him and the Russian originated.

11. THANK YOU
FOR THE ATTENTION !