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Loie Fuller in Long Costume

Loie Fuller in Long Costume

Born in Illinois in 1862, Fuller grew up performing in travelling shows, vaudeville, and the theatre before becoming interested in dance in the early 1890s. Inspired in part by sunlight shimmering on silk, Fuller realized that dance could be a free-flowing combination of light with movement.

She developed a series of “serpentine” dances that copied the movements of flowers, butterflies, flowing water or flickering flames and used colored lights and the manipulation of scarves and props to enhance the emotional quality of the performance.

Date of Work
1901
Credit
Library of Congress

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