Julia Levien

Julia Levien (October 9, 1911 – September 3, 2006) was an American dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer. She was an expert on the dances of Isadora Duncan and taught Duncan's style of dance. She was a dance pupil of Anna Duncan, Isadora's daughter, and founded the Duncan Dance Guild in the 1950s and the Duncan Centenary Company in 1977. She died at the age of 94 at her home on Roosevelt Island. One of her pupils was dancer Annabelle Gamson.

Education

Started dancing at a very young age already around 4 or 5, she heard the piano in movies a lot when she was younger and when she would hear the piano being played, she thought that meant it was time to dance, so she would love to dance to the piano. Julia's family was a place where the Yiddish writers and artists would meet. Her parents would not prohibit the to study dancing but to encourage her of the study of Isadora which created her own dances. One of the ladies in the group of the family gatherings, Estelle Harreton, was her first teacher. She taught Julia the elements of dancing as she knew them, according to Isadora as she learned from her. Around 1920, She danced in a class of children that Harreton had assembled. She was 9 years old when she started taking class from her in Manhattan. It was a random class that any child could go to and the parents would come and take class with the children as well. The class went form the mother dancing first then the child would. Julia never thought of herself as wanting to become a dancer, she wanted to dance because it was natural. She performed in Ave Maria that Isadora choreographed, which transcended religious experience into spiritual dance. Spiritual is very important to recognize in the quality of Duncun dance. Spiritual not in a religious sense, but in feeling in the personality above the physical. Julia was not raised religious; aware of her jewish background but not religious. At her school it was not a religious atmosphere. You could go to church, but many chose not to. Later, her first performance with Irma, she had to learn the Russian songs and attempted to sing. In 1923, Julia discovered Anna Duncun who taught at Carnegie Hall. Starting to be involved with Anna's circle, she performed with her at the Lewiston stadium. After Isadora died in 1927, Irma came to New York with her Russian company. As time went on, Irma's company went back to Russia, but Irma stayed in New York. Julia was one of the ten dancers that was chose to replace the Russian dancers. The group was then developed and they were called the American Isadora Duncun School and Company. Julia went on tour to cuba and toured the United States with Irma. Had pianist perform with the company and toured for around 5 years. Both Anna Duncun and Irma taught Julia one thing; no matter how many times you have performed that dance, it must look as if it just happened. That was part of the learning. Part of this improvisational nature that people assumed that just getting up and dancing is what they learned in school. It happened in basic movement. For example, they would run, skip, the pattern was clear but within that, there was an improvisational nature that the body had to do a certain things but a certain element was improvisational. Responsive on your own, which could not be taught. Within this space you do certain things and what you do is yours. Nobody imitated anybody else. Doing Isadoras movement, you could do her movement but it would still be your own individuality coming through her movements.

Career

One of the dancers Julia taught went away and moved to California and was on tour with Alvin Ailey. She couldn’t stop talking about Isadora because it changed her outlook on dance so she asked Julia if she could come down and perform something for them. She was trying to figure out how people could perform Isadoras choreography if you weren't brought up in the school. Julia said "the dancers were not absolutely perfect. If you weren't a Duncun dancer, they were true to the choreography. Some of the lines were still a little different because they didn’t get the exact training, in time that could have been erased. I was satisfied with this experience. Moved on to the next aspect of that and this seemed to serve that. In the beginning it was very difficult. Some were willing to work but some were thinking they were too good for the style, or in other words, “thought they already were Isadora.” Then they were surprised that it is a big deal to learn and to unlearn." In 3 weeks, Julia was able to create a Ferrie dance. She did the Ferrie dance because she thought it was the easiest for them to learn because the style of the Ferrie dance was how the dancers would dance normally. After having a family, everyone wanted her back, so Julia started to perform again and teach again. When she was 50. She had to transmute herself because you can't do anything Isadora did in a small way. She believes at this point in life, for the young dancer it is important to had experience Isadora and her practice. During the 1950s, Julia formed a company called the Duncun Guild in support with Hortense and Gemze DeLappe. The technique of Duncun was very well portrayed in that time and movement. Julia taught and coached there for many years. Later on, Julia finally got married and moved away to Far Rockaway. This is where she raised her son named Elliot, and continued to perform and teach. At the age of 94, Julia passed away in 2006 while she was still teaching, coaching and sculpting the Duncun style to many.

Family

Julia Levien was the daughter of Russian parents. They were both Jewish immigrants and was very involved in the arts, including music, dance, poetry, theatre and much more. Both parents were Yiddish literature writers. Her father worked in a theatre and was the founder of the folks dina. The parents were born in Russia and came from that stream of intellectuals. They came to America as young adults and became a part of the intellectual in the United States.