UK Gaines Center kicks off year of Health and the Humanities with 'Dance for Life'
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 4, 2025) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities kicked off its year of Health and the Humanities on Wednesday, Sept. 25, with “Dance for Life,” a lecture from dance historian Elena Lushkova and performance from Amber Sky celebrating the legacy of Isadora Duncan (1877-1927), an early pioneer of dance therapy.
Lushkova is a Visiting Scholar studying American modern dance and Duncan's artistic legacy. She is the author of the English language book "Revolutionary Dance in Revolutionary Russia: Isadora Duncan and Russian Culture" (CEU Press, 2025) and described Duncan as being enormously ahead of her time with her approach to dance.
The “Dance for Life” event highlighted the importance of holistic therapies, also known as complementary and alternative medicine, to treat patients struggling with everything from traumatic injuries to dementia.
In addition to Lushkova’s lecture, attendees were treated to a series of performances from third-generation Isadora dancer, Amber Sky. Sky was a student of Vidala, a second-generation Isadora Duncan dancer, and holds a California Teaching Credential in Physical Education and extensive training in the Somatic Based movement method.
Kate Hadfield-Antonetti of the Lexington Movement Continuum remarked, “As a professional choreographer and contemporary dance company director, being present at the Gaines Center’s Isadora Duncan lecture by Elena Yushkova and performance by Amber Sky was a deeply meaningful experience. I cannot create, choreograph or work in contemporary dance, the genre I call my specialty, without paying homage to Isadora and her invaluable contributions to our art form. Yushkova’s expansive knowledge of Duncan’s life and influence paired with Amber Sky’s physical manifestation of Duncan’s choreographic legacy made for a powerful pairing.”
Stay tuned to the Gaines website for more events on Health and the Humanities including a visit from bestselling author, Emily St. John Mandel on Oct. 17.
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