JANAEA ROSE LYN - Dance Artist

     A Third Generation Isadora Duncan dancer, educator and historian, Janaea Rose Lyn began her career in 1975 as a member of the San Francisco Duncan Dancers, directed by Mignon Garland.In 1979 she wasinvited to the Akademia Raymond Duncan in Paris as the resident Isadora Duncan dancer, teacher and historian. During this time Janaea worked with Dorée Duncan and initially curated the archives at the Musee des Duncan which appear in “Life into Art, Isadora Duncan and Her World” by Dorée Duncan, Carol Pratl and Cynthia Splatt. She also had the opportunity to work with Madaleine Lytton, a student of Lisa Duncan, and with colleague Barbara Kane.         

 Isadora Duncan   Janaea Lyn

     Janaea returned to San Francisco where she was a company member and instructor with the Dionysian Duncan Dancers. She began a solo career at the Victoria Theatre with pianist Bill Sorenson before returning to New York City in 1984. There she trained with Julia Levien and Hortense Kooluris; and taught and performed as a Guest Artist with the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, including at Grace Cathedral in 1988. She exhibited her personal collection of Duncan archival materials at their studio throughout the 1987/88 season. After relocating to Philadelphia in 1990, Janaea worked choreographer, movement coach and guest dancer/historian for the Wilma Theatre’s production of Martin Sherman’s play When She Danced, directed by Blanka Zizka. In 1994, Janaea was invited to the First Biennale of Contemporary Dance in Poznan, Poland and performed Duncan’s work at the Grand Opera House with pianist Paul Fejko. She was the Guest Artist and Lecturer in 2000 for the exhibition of Line Dance: Abraham Walkowitz’s Drawings of Isadora Duncan at the University of Delaware to inaugurate the donation of Virginia Zabriskie’s extensive collection.

     Over the next decade, Janaea taught and performed Duncan Dance at the Convergence Centre in Maryland. In May of 2012 Janaea was a guest teacher and speaker at the 135th Anniversary Celebration of Isadora Duncan presented by the Isadora Duncan Foundation at Judson Church in New York City. Her talk, A Postcard from Paris, highlighted her experiences at the Akademia Raymond Duncan in Paris. Janaea now resides in Phoenix, Arizona where she has been teaching and lecturing on Isadora Duncan Dance at regional studios, colleges and high schools. In February of 2013, she was Guest Artist in Residence at Grand Canyon University and an Instructor at the West Regional American College Dance Festival. In July she proudly participated in the First Isadora Duncan International Symposium  (See below). Janaea contines to teach, coach and perform the Duncan work, most recently at the 2017 isadora Duncan International Symposium in San Francisco. 

Janaea is a founding member and former Co-Chair of the Isadora Duncan Archive Committee which created the Isadora Duncan Archive:  

http://www.isadoraduncanarchive.org