Details
| Size | | Length: | 400 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 28.8 oz |
Industry Reviews
The life of Loie Fuller, "magician of light," has become legend, more lore than fact. In this first English-language biography of the American-born theatrical performer extraordinaire, Richard Current, a prolific author on diverse subjects, and his wife, a collector of Loie Fuller art, combed primary materials to tell the true story of her remarkable career. She created a sensation in France in 1892 when she introduced her serpentine dances depictions of moods and emotions created by her skillful manipulation of voluminous folds of silk through an interplay of colored lights. With no formal dance training, Fuller was a determined and enthusiastic innovator. She also inspired visual artists, counted among her friends the rich and famous, and helped to cofound two museums. Curiously, since her death in 1928, Fuller's contributions have been eclipsed by those of her rival, Isadora Duncan. Based upon this research, scholars can now more accurately assess Fuller's legacy. Recommended for public and academic libraries, as well as specialized dance collections. Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Stefanatos
Considered by many to be the first modern dancer, Loie Fuller (1862 1928) turned a chance encounter with shadows and light into a worldwide phenomenon. Fuller's use of voluminous folds of fabric and specialized lighting set the entertainment industry ablaze when she performed her "Serpentine dance" in 1892. Although born in Fullersburg, Ill., "La Loie" came to dominate the theatrical and social scene in Paris around the turn of the century, and was friends with such luminaries as Auguste Rodin, Marie and Pierre Curie, Anatole France, Sarah Bernhardt and Queen Marie of Romania. Fuller's interest soon extended to founding a dance troupe and sponsoring Art Nouveau exhibits. A young Isadora Duncan trained with Loie, though the two soon parted and became bitter rivals as one critic said "Isadora sculpts. Loie Fuller paints. It is useless to compare them." Like Duncan, Fuller was far more popular in Europe than in the U.S., leading her to remark: "I was born in America but I was made in Paris." A master of deception (she was short and plump yet appeared tall and sylph-like while dancing), Fuller's off-stage life was as complex as her carefully choreographed performances. She was notoriously inept with finances, living well beyond her means and continually dependent on friends and associates to pay her enormous debts. Though largely forgotten, Fuller's contributions are given their due in this long overdue book by a husband-and-wife team the author of Lincoln's Loyalists and a researcher and collector of Loie Fuller art, respectively. Entertaining, well written and painstakingly researched, Loie Fuller gives us a vivid rendering of an original, ephemeral talent. Photos not seen by PW. (May)
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