32. Fuller Swirls in Lantern Dances 2017-05-22T20:24:46+00:00

32. Women Performers

Loie Fuller Swirls in Lantern Dances

Loie Fuller was one of the most influential dancers at the beginning of the 20th century.  She was especially known for her innovative use of light, and sometimes danced in a flowing white costume, on which lantern images were projected.

The color photo shows a modern re-creation of one of her magic-lantern dances. Click to see early movie footage of Fuller dancing.

A statuette shows Fuller performing.  Her flowing costume made the projected images seem to move, and inspired many art deco works such as this one.

Her performances themselves were widely copied, using slides purchased from commercially available lantern catalogs.  A slide shows a young girl trying out her new “skirt dance” costume, perhaps preparing to perform before the magic lantern.

Archival Notes
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