Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Martha Graham (American Choreographer)

Martha Graham (1893–1991) was an American dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She was one of the world’s leading exponents of modern dance.

Graham developed a new dance language called “The Graham Technique,” which differentiated from the form and the fluidity of traditional ballet by introducing individual forms anchored in natural movement. Her flexible movements could convey psychological complexities and entice the audiences to identify with universal human emotions. Graham’s choreography technique borrowed from Japanese Kabuki, Greek theater, German expressionism, psychoanalysis, American-Indian rituals, Puritanism, and American history.

Graham choreographed about one hundred and seventy pieces, both solo and ensemble, in addition to three films and a variety of television performances. She is most noted for her 1940s Greek tragedies—frequently narrated from the viewpoint of a sexually distressed mythological heroine, for example, Jocasta in her version of the Oedipus story, Night Journey (1947.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Martha Graham

We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life. This is the function of the American dance.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Awareness, Dance, Dancing

The body never lies.
—Martha Graham
Topics: The Body

Dance is a song of the body. Either of joy or pain.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dance, Dancing

Misery is a communicable disease.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Hedonism, Self-Pity, Attitude

Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dancing, Dance

A building, if it’s beautiful, is the love of one man, he’s made it out of his love for space, materials, things like that.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Architecture

You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Perfection

Age is the acceptance of a term of years. But maturity is the glory of years.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Maturity

Censorship is the height of vanity.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Censorship

America does not concern itself now with Impressionism. We own no involved philosophy. The psyche of the land is to be found in its movement. It is to be felt as a dramatic force of energy and vitality. We move; we do not stand still. We have not yet arrived at the stock-taking stage.
—Martha Graham
Topics: America

The only sin is mediocrity.
—Martha Graham

No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time. It’s just that the others are behind the time.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Art

Nothing is more revealing than movement.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dancing, Dance

I did not want to be a tree, a flower or a wave. In a dancer’s body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of the miracle that is a human being.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Audiences

Every dance is a kind of fever chart, a graph of the heart.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dancing, Dance

Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dance, Dancing

You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled then something has been lost.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Ability

Dancers are the messengers of the gods.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dance

Dance is the hidden language of the soul.
—Martha Graham
Topics: Dancing, Dance, Language

Wondering Whom to Read Next?

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *