Lori Belilove and The Isadora Duncan Dance Company are hosting a socially distanced performance, at the walled garden of Untermyer Park.
Tickets are on sale fo $50 for Saturday September 26th event at 5 PM at 941 North Broadway
Dancers: Lori Belilove, Emily D’angelo, Faith Kimberling, Hayley Rose, Brittany Schmidt will create an encore performance at Untermyer Gardens, 941 North Broadway in Yonkers.
The Isadora Duncan Dance Company will appear in the the amphitheater where Samuel and Minnie Untermyer watched The Isadorables perform in 1923.
The tradition continued when Isadora Duncan Dancers, under the direction of Irma Duncan, returned to the city of hills in 1932.
Now they will appear Saturday September 26 at 5 PM, performing a program of of original dances in this exquisite setting on the Hudson River.
The classically inspired gardens were regularly open to the public, and also used as a venue for performances.
Fortunately, those original performances were recorded in photos and on film, allowing Lori Belilove to study them in preparation for her company’s appearance.
In addition, Lori Belilove feels a personal connection with the site, having trained with two of the original Duncan dancers that actually performed there.
While not a literal recreation of the historical Duncan performances this will be the first time in nearly 100 years, these new interpretations will be performed in the exact locations of the originals. .
Untermyer Park and Gardens is a historic 43-acre Yonkers city public park.
In 1865, John T. Waring, the owner of the largest hat factory in the U.S. built a a turreted mansion on on the site called “Greystone”, a name which remains on the nearby Metro-North train station.
In 1876, Waring had some financial reversals and moved to Boston, putting the 99-room mansion up for rent.
Politician Samuel J. Tilden a former governor of New York state and a failed Presidential candidate, rented the mansion from Waring in 1879, and bought it and the estate soon after.
Tilden had an interest in horticulture and built 13 greenhouses to grow ornamental plants as well as fruits and vegetables.
Tilden died at Greystone on August 4, 1886, and Samuel J. Untermyer bought the 133-acre property at auction in 1899.
Untermyer was noted as being the first lawyer in the U.S. to receive a fee of one million dollars for a single case.
A good investor Untermyer became extremely wealthy. He also transitioned from practicing corporate law to taking cases which involved promoting the public welfare.
The current park is a remnant of Untermyer’s 150-acre estate “Greystone”.
When Untermyer died in 1940, he had hoped to donate the whole estate to the United States, or the State of New York, or at least to the City of Yonkers.
Eventually the Yonkers agreed to accept part of the estate.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Untermyer Gardens have recently undergone a significant campaign of restorations, which is continuing.
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