May 28+29. The Duncan Project
Women of Today in Memory of Women of the Past
A tribute to Isadora and her dancers
Isadora Duncan was a visionary and an innovative artist. She worked in her own time but had a dream of the dancers of the future. Isadora imagined a new woman, freed from all constraints. Eight dancers from completely different backgrounds are now gathering at Weld. What unites them is that, as children, they practised Isadora Duncan’s dance art together and continue to find inspiration and joy in this work. These evenings will feature a range of different choreographic works by Duncan, some in their original form and others reconstructed.
The dancer of the future will be one whose body and soul have grown so harmoniously to-gether that the natural language of that soul will become the movement of the body. The dancer will not belong to a nation but to all humanity. / Isadora Duncan
Dancers Lilly Zetterberg, Amelie Borg, Hanna Blomqvist, Vilma Sahlberg, Gabriella Palmstierna Einarsson, Elsa Presto, Astrid Tomani Ridder, Aino Eriksson Jarrick
Choreography Isadora Duncan ,Kathleen Quinlan and Amy Swanson /Paris
Reconstruction Kathleen Quinlan
Directors Kathleen Quinlan & Lilly Zetterberg
Costume and coaching Ika Nord & Kathleen Quinlan
May 28 at 7.30pm-8.30pm
May 29 at 7.30pm-8.30pm
Weld
Norrtullsgatan 7
Book at: book.weld.se
THE PROGRAM
1) ”LA ROBE” created in 2000, La Taille, Normandy, FRANCE
Dancer Lilly Zetterberg
Music Beethoven’s seventh Symphony 2nd movement Allegreto
Choreography Amy Swanson/Paris 2000
2) Opening : Music Johann Strauss Emperor Waltz
7 dancers featuring Elsa Presto and Gabriella Palmstierna Einarsson
Costumes: Ika Nord
Choreography Kathleen Quinlan 2026
3) Elegie
Music Gabriel Faure´ Elegie
Dancer Hanna Blomqvist
Reconstruction Kathleen Quinlan after Isadora´s choreography Funeral March 1913
4)Music Frederic Chopin Berceuse
Dancer Vilma Sahlberg
Reconstruction Kathleen Quinlan after Isadora´s Berceuse 1914
5) Music Brahms Waltz op. 39 # 7
Choreography Isadora Duncan 1912
Dancers All
Sisterhood
6)Music excerpt Johannes Brahms String Sextet No.1in B flat major
Dancers Aino Eriksson Jarrick & Astrid Tomani Ridder
Choreography Kathleen Quinlan 2025
7)Music Frederic Chopin Revolutionary Etude
Dancer Amelie Borg
Choreography Isadora Duncan circa 1916
8) Music Tchaikovsky Symphony Pathetique
Dancers Lilly Zetterberg with Hanna Blomqvist, Vilma Sahlberg, Gabriella Palmstierna Einarsson
Choreography Group section from the original choreography of Isadora Duncan Solo section Reconstruction of Isadora´s solo Kathleen Quinlan 1916
9)Film
Photos and film Tina Axelsson
Music Bye Bye Blackbird , Miles Davis , John Coltrane and others
Dancers All
THE DUNCAN PROJECT
The Duncan project is a performing group for Duncan dancers in the art of Isadora Duncan. Under the direction of Kathleen Quinlan and Lilly Zetterberg. Many of these dancers started as children in the children’s dance company Lilla Baletten. Kathleen started Lilla Baletten 1993 in order to maintain the tradition. In Lilla Baletten they learned the technique and choreography of Isadora Duncan and now these dancers continue to develop in the Duncan Heritage.
There is a Sisterhood in the tradition of Duncan dance that we acknowledge. Going back to Isadora and her Entourage and the six “Isadorables .” This dance is a living tradition.
Dancers of the Duncan project:
Lilly Zetterberg, Amelie Borg, Hanna Blomqvist, Vilma Sahlberg, Gabriella Palmstierna Einarsson, Elsa Presto, Astrid Tomani Ridder, Aino Eriksson Jarrick.
More information on our website: www.inalivingtradition.com
KATHLEEN QUINLAN
Kathleen Quinlan originates from New York and received her education at the Boston Conservatory of Music, the Boston Museum School of Art and S.U.N.Y. Purchase, since 1987 living in Stockholm. She was a soloist in Anna Sokolow’s dance company in N.Y.C., and belongs to the foremost in the world within the Isadora Duncan tradition.Kathleen had a close friendship with Anna Duncan and also got to inherit Duncan’s entire archives and belongings, which among other things enabled two exhibitions of Isadora Duncan for the Dance Museum in Stockholm. As a choreographer, Kathleen has worked with dance, theatre and Opera in New York and Paris. In Sweden and Denmark she has toured with pianist Roland Pöntinen in a tribute to Isadora. Since 1989 she has collaborated with Ika Nord as choreographer in her performances. Kathleen has also taught Isadora Duncan’s tradition at the Dance Academy in Piteå, the Ballet Academy, and the Royal Swedish Ballet School.
AMY SWANSON
Amy Swanson has been dancing the technique and repertory of Isadora Duncan since 1975. Amy and Kathleen started to work together in 1980 in New York City. Amy created two venues for dance: studio Le Regard du Cygne in Paris and the artists’ residency À La Taille-Danseurs à la fin du temps in Normandy Besides Duncan dancing and her own choreographies Amy has worked with the pop star Angele´and has been touring with the piece Portrait by Mehdi Kerkouche in over 150 venues since 2022 which marked her 50 years of her dance career on stage.
Weld is supported by the City of Stockholm, the Swedish Arts Council and Region Stockholm.