The odds were against us, but optimism, hard work and the unstinting support of the Bolshoi Theatre sped Isadora Now to DanceInversion in Moscow this October. The work of restaging the show after the pandemic was made possible by a Kickstart grant from the Genesis Foundation, for which we are enormously grateful.

Isadora Duncan was a regular visitor to Russia from 1904 to 1924. She performed at the Bolshoi with her Russian pupils, created dances to revolutionary songs, married the famous poet Sergei Yesenin, took Soviet citizenship, and influenced a generation of Russian ballet masters. Returning her to Moscow was like taking coals to Newcastle. Isadora also found a staunch admirer in the great director Konstantin Stanislavsky, who rejected her advances on the basis that he could never approve a child of his being raised outside his jurisdiction. So it was particularly poignant to perform at the beautiful Stanislavsky Theatre.

The Moscow audiences gave us a rousing reception, we loved sitting in on the Bolshoi Ballet's rehearsals for Spartacus (see our Instagram for more), and we somehow had a full house on our last night with the city in lockdown. Sincere thanks to DanceInversion supremo Irina Chernomurova, producer Victor Zolotov, our agent Yulia Vengeva and everyone at the Bolshoi for what proved an emotional experience for all involved.