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What is the legacy of Martha Graham and why does it endure?How and why did the philosophy and subsequent canon of Martha Graham flood out into an artistic diaspora that is still a wellspring of inspiration for contemporary artists?
How do dancers that have never studied with, or worked under, Martha Graham maintain her vision?
All of these questions, and many more, are considered in this fascinating book, authored by one of the Martha Graham Company's ex-principal dancers, which illuminates the ongoing significance of the Martha Graham Dance Company almost 100 years after it was founded.
Through doing so, we are offered a study of the history of the Martha Graham Dance Company - the longest-standing modern dance company in America, its international diaspora and the current generation of dancers taking up the mantel.
Drawing on extensive interviews conducted for the book, the company's story is told through the experiences, inspirations, motivations and words of performers from Graham's iconic artistic lineage.
List of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The artist in her own words
Chapter 2: The house of the pelvic truth (1926 - present day) - releasing the female body and the significant of a female-derived dance technique
Chapter 3: Story-telling and transgressing norms
Chapter 4: Endurance/re-birth - Graham's dancers take the lead
Chapter 5: Graham in diaspora - testimonies and inspirations from artistic collaborators and practitioners (1947-present day)
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Blakeley White-McGuire was a Principal dancer with the Martha Graham Company from 2001 - 17. She currently serves on the faculties of the American Dance Festival, the Paul Taylor School, Hunter College, City University of New York, and is an official Regisseur for the Martha Graham Center staging repertory internationally.
Summary
What is the legacy of Martha Graham and why does it endure?
How and why did the philosophy and subsequent canon of Martha Graham flood out into an artistic diaspora that is still a wellspring of inspiration for contemporary artists?
How do dancers that have never studied with, or worked under, Martha Graham maintain her vision?
All of these questions, and many more, are considered in this fascinating book, authored by one of the Martha Graham Company's ex-principal dancers, which illuminates the ongoing significance of the Martha Graham Dance Company almost 100 years after it was founded.
Through doing so, we are offered a study of the history of the Martha Graham Dance Company - the longest-standing modern dance company in America, its international diaspora and the current generation of dancers taking up the mantel.
Drawing on extensive interviews conducted for the book, the company's story is told through the experiences, inspirations, motivations and words of performers from Graham's iconic artistic lineage.
Foreword
Telling the story of the Martha Graham Dance Company through the experiences, inspirations, motivations and words of performers, this book also illuminates the ongoing significance of the company almost 100 years after it was founded.
Additional text
This book is a major achievement. At last we have a social history, ecology and an intimate choreographic narrative of the woman and dance company that changed American dance and Modernism beyond it forever. This book brings together, in their own words, the most important voices who had been shaped by and, in turn, themselves shaped the Martha Graham legacy and modern dance beyond it. This is an important book for anyone who wants to understand dance, body-politics, feminism and the social history of the 20th century. A uniquely inspiring read that reminds us, in the words of Graham herself, that dance is the hidden language of the soul. This book digs deep into the readers’ hearts and illuminates this significant lineage to which we are indebted.
