Duncan class B- Children Adrien and Beth with Anna Duncan and Julia Levien_0.mp4
I still have very vivid memories of the time when I was dancing with Anna Duncan as a child. My general dance teacher was Julia Levien from the time I was five. I remember clearly that my Duncan dance class was the highlight of my week. I so enjoyed dancing to the wonderful music, feeling a sense of awe, and connecting on a very visceral level to my classmates, such a natural and joyful means of connecting with my peers. I always left my classes elated and couldn’t wait for Thursdays. When I was around seven, I learned that Julia’s teacher, Anna Duncan, was going to come to Far Rockaway, where I lived, to work with some of Julia’s students in some special classes. There were around 5-8 of us who were invited to be a part of this, including my two older sisters, Adrien (Adrienne Ramm) and Theda (Theda Detlor). and me. My mother offered our basement for the classes. I was by far the youngest and felt shy and somewhat in awe of Anna and her commanding presence. But I loved the dancing, the music, and the movement, and I took to it like a fish to water, even with my shyness and the fact that I was younger than everyone else in the group. Anna was very demanding and strict with us, which seemed like a dichotomy considering the natural and joyful movement as well as dancing in my home with my two sisters. We were all very respectful and reverential toward her—somehow, she demanded it, and we responded accordingly. It was a very impactful experience for me, which had a lasting influence as I continued my dance studies. One memory that sticks out is doing the Ecossaise with her. She was not happy with how it was going. To my great surprise, she announced to everyone that I was the only one doing it right somehow. I was quite shocked and didn’t know what I was doing that was different from the others, but it gave me a moment of pride. Ultimately, we were filmed during a particular week—it was around 1964. I was about seven or eight, and Adrien was around 13. Unfortunately, my sister Theda, who would have been 11, was unavailable for the filming. I have a short video file from that time, which will demonstrate all of this by actually seeing us in action.
Duncan class B- Children Adrien and Beth with Anna Duncan and Julia Levien_0.mp4
