She
is considered by some the Picasso of Dance!
Martha
Graham (who was born on this date in 1894) helped to create a new era
in modern dance. Modern dance rejects some of the rigid choreography
and costuming of traditional ballet and focuses more on torso
movements. It's also known for occasionally using distinctly
non-ballet feet with flexed, not pointed, toes.
Oh,
and (often) dancers dancing with bare feet!
Here
are some impressive facts about Graham:
- She danced and choreographed for more than seventy years!
- She was the first dancer ever to perform at the White House.
- She received the highest non-military award of the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- She received the Key to the City of Paris and Japan's Imperial Order of the Precious Crown.
- She was named Dancer of the Century by People magazine.
An
amazing quote from Graham:
If
you want to be great, but you're not sure you are, or that you ever
will be, remember what Martha Graham told another dancer:
“There
is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is
translated through you into action, and because there is only one of
you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it,
it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The
world will not have it.
It
is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor
how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep
it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not
even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep
yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the
channel open....
No
artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time.
There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that
keeps us marching....”
Here is a video of a Graham-choreographed dance.
Plan Ahead...
Also
on this date:
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