"If there is one thing
What symbolizes my art,
It is the freedom of the woman,
And his postage
From the shackles of conventions ... "
Isadora Duncan

On  the occasion of Women's Day on March 8, 2003, dancer and choreographer  Carolyn Carlson will perform a tribute at the Bourdelle Museum to the  great dancer Isadora Duncan, whose Antoine Bourdelle was inspired by the  bas-reliefs and frescoes of the Théâtre des Champs- Elysées. Isabelle Schwartz, an Isadorian dancer, will sketch a journey through the museum.
"All my muses," said the sculptor, "are gestures taken during the flight of Isadora Duncan".
A  round table will also be held on the theme The Woman, Sculpture and  Dance with Carolyn Carlson and Isabelle Schwartz, led by Annette Mattox,  dancer and sculptor.
(Text from the press release of the Bourdelle Museum - March 8, 2003)
Filmed March 8, 2003 at the Bourdelle Museum, Paris.

Source: Cinémathèque de la danse.

California-born Carolyn Carlson defines herself first and foremost as a nomad. From San Francisco Bay to the University of Utah, from the Alwin Nikolais company in New York to Anne Béranger’s in France, from Paris Opera Ballet to Teatrodanza La Fenice in Venice, from the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris to Helsinki, from Ballet Cullberg to La Cartoucherie in Paris, from the Venice Biennale to Roubaix, Carlson is a tireless traveller, always seeking to develop and share her poetic universe.

She arrived in France in 1971 the beneficiary of Alwin Nikolais’s ideas about movement, composition and teaching. The following year, with Rituel pour un rêve mort, she wrote a poetic manifesto that defined an approach to her work that she has adhered to ever since: dance that is strongly oriented towards philosophy and spirituality. Carlson prefers the term ‘visual poetry’ to ‘choreography’ to describe her work. She creates works that express her poetic thoughts and a form of complete art within which movement occupies a special place. 

For four decades, Carlson has had significant influence and success in many European countries. She played a key role in the birth of French and Italian contemporary dance through the GRTOP (theatre research group) at Paris Opera Ballet and Teatrodanza at La Fenice.

She has created over 100 pieces, a large number of which are landmarks in the history of dance, including Density 21.5, The Year of the Horse, Blue Lady, Steppe, Maa, Signes, Writings on Water and Inanna. In 2006, her work was rewarded with the first ever Golden Lion given to a choreographer by the Venice Biennale.

Nowadays, Carolyn Carlson is director of two organisations: the Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson, an international centre for masterclasses, residencies and creating new works, which she founded in 1999 and the National Choreographic Centre Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais until December 2013, which produces and tours shows all over the world.

More information: en.carolyn-carlson.com