Isadora Duncan's masterly writings on the dance reveal the depth of her determination to create a lyric form of the art which was free of characterization, storytelling, and the theatrical exhibition of skills: She wished to discard the traditional methods and established vocabularies of such dance forms as ballet and to explore the internal sources of human expressiveness. She shunned bodily ornamentation and strove to use only the natural movements of her body, undistorted by acrobatic exaggeration and stimulated only by internal compulsion. In her recitals Duncan danced to the music o Beethoven, Wagner, and Gluck, among others, but, contrary to popular belief, she made no attempt to visualize or to interpret the music; rather, she simply relied on it to provide the inspiration for expressing inner feelings through movement. She did not regard this use of music as ideal, however, believing that she would someday dispense with music entirely. That day never came.
17. The author is primarily concerned with Duncan's
(A) masterful lyricism as expressed in her writings on the dance
(B) concerted efforts to subdue the natural movements of the dance
(C) belated recognition that she could not actually fulfill all of her ideals for the dance
(D) basic standards for the dance form that she wished to create and perform
(E) continuous responsiveness to a popular misconception about the nature of her new art form
18. The author implies that Duncan relied on music in her recitals in order to
(A) interpret musical works solely by means of natural body movements
(B) foster the illusion that music serves as an inspiration for the dance
(C) inspire the expression of inner feeling when she danced
(D) validate the public belief that music inspires the expression of feeling through movement
(E) counter the public belief that she made no attempt to visualize music
19. According to the passage, Duncan intended to develop an art form that would do all of the following EXCEPT
(A) avoid the use of standard ballet techniques
(B) revitalize an earlier established vocabulary
(C) draw on internal sources of human expressiveness
(D) create intended effects without the use of acrobatic exaggeration
(E) derive inspiration solely from inner feelings
20. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following endeavors is LEAST compatible with Duncan's ideals for the dance?
(A) Using music to stimulate the inspiration to dance
(B) Attempting to free an art form of both characterization and storytelling
(C) Minimizing the theatrical exhIbition of skills
(D) Being inspired to express inner feeling through movement
(E) Creating a lyric art form by drawing on inner personal resources