Loie Fuller: Goddess of Light (Pitt Series in Russian and East)

Symbolist poets rhapsodized over her, artists jostled to paint her, sculptors strove to capture her evanescent image in art nouveau bronze and glass. But it wasn't long after dancer Loie Fuller's golden age in 1890s Paris that dance fans relegated her to novelty status. Now, two biographers, Richard Nelson Current and Marcia Ewing Current, are determined to rehabilitate her memory and restore her place as one of the pioneers of modern dance. The American-born Fuller was untrained in classical dance, but her spirit moved her to whirl amid yards of floating cloth, illuminated in brilliant colors by the newly discovered electric light. "La Loïe's" talents as a businesswoman, self promoter, artistic rebel, and star of her own personal tragedy make her a complex and fascinating character. Her rediscovery and renewed appreciation makes this book a real event in dance biography.