Isadora Duncan has been called the “Mother of Dance.” In her time she was called a lot of other things too, not all of them suitable for publication.

Duncan died in 1927, but her life is recreated on stage by Kres Mersky in a one-woman show. Mersky will present “Isadora Duncan” May 25 at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton as part of the theater’s First Person Series.

Born in San Francisco in 1877, Duncan developed a free-form style of dance that shocked American audiences, but found acceptance in Europe. In her last tour of the United States, in 1922, she is said to have waved a red scarf and bared her breast on stage while declaring “This is red! So am I!”

While performing in Europe and living in the Bohemian Montparnasse district of Paris, she had affairs and children with two men, one a theater designer, the other an heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune. Tragically, both children drowned in 1913 when the car they were sitting in plunged into the Seine.

She is said to have been bisexual, with at least two lengthy public affairs with women.

Duncan called ballet “ugly and against nature.” Her style was more organic, and featured bare feet, loose, flowing hair and skimpy (by 1900’s standards) Grecian-style tunics. She gained a large following of devoted dancers and fans, and set up three schools: one in Germany, one in Paris and one in Russia.

The German group was the most successful and gave rise to “The Isadorables,” who took on the surname Duncan, as if they were her children. While in Moscow she married a Russian poet who was 17 years her junior. The marriage spiraled downward, fueled by his drunken rages and legendary hotel furniture bashing episodes. He suffered a mental breakdown and committed suicide in 1925.

Duncan inspired a generation of artists and authors, who sought to capture her vitality in sculpture, poetry, paintings and the newest medium, photography.

The free-spirited dancer disliked the commercial aspects of her art, and often chastised her dance schools for performing too publicly and commercially.

By the time she was in her 40s her career was dwindling and so were her finances. She came to rely on the kindness of friends for food and shelter, moving between Paris and the Mediterranean.

In the end, even her death became a legend. You’ve probably heard the story — she was riding in a convertible sports car, long scarf trailing dramatically behind her, when the scarf became entangled in the rear wheel. She was jerked violently from the car, breaking her neck and almost severing her head. She died instantly. It was a dramatic end to a dramatic life.

Gertrude Stein, another founder of the Parisian Bohemians is said to have remarked, “affectations can be dangerous.”

Author Dorothy Parker had a kinder take on Duncan’s life. In her review of Duncan’s posthumous memoir, “Ma Vie,” she wrote, “Here was a great woman: a magnificent, generous, gallant, reckless, fated fool of a woman … she ran ahead where there were no paths.”

This show marks a return to the Admiral Theatre for Mersky, who also performed the one-woman show, “The Life and Times of A. Einstein.” In that show she played Albert Einstein’s secretary who chats with the press while awaiting the return of her boss, who never does show.

Mersky is a playwright and actress who specializes in solo shows. She has also performed on a number of TV shows, including “Charlie’s Angels” and “Murder She Wrote.”

“Isadora Duncan,” directed by Paul Gerston, will be performed 7 p.m. May 25 at the Admiral Theatre, 515 Pacific Ave., Bremerton.

Tickets are $15, all seats reserved. Tickets are available at the box office or by calling (360) 373-6743.