You don't pick dance. Dance picks you. Martha Graham More Quotes by Martha Graham More Quotes From Martha Graham In 1980, a well-meaning fundraiser came to see me and said, "Miss Graham, the most powerful thing you have going for you to raise money is your respectability." I wanted to spit. Respectable! Show me any artist who wants to be respectable. Martha Graham powerful artist missing I don't try to tell the dancers exactly what a dance means before they do it. Martha Graham dancer trying mean Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Martha Graham ballet-class dance healing Some of you are doomed to be artists. Martha Graham doomed artist I am absorbed in the magic of movement and light. Movement never lies. It is the magic of what I call the outer space of the imagination. Martha Graham space light lying Dance is the landscape of man's soul. Martha Graham landscape soul men I have heard stories that it was love at first sight for both of us, that we disappeared to a guest room at Merle's house, had our meals sent up, and didn't emerge for several days. This is absolutely untrue. I would never behave like that as a guest in someone's home. Carlos and I went to my beach house. Martha Graham sight home beach 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 dance flower tree The world I'm interested in is the one where things are not named. Martha Graham dance world I never thought of myself as being a genius. I don't know what genius is. I think a far better expression is a retriever, a lovely strong golden retriever that brings things back from the past, or retrieves things from our common blood memory Martha Graham strong memories past I think comedy is the most difficult thing in the world, I really do. Martha Graham laziness world thinking Pity is a corroding thing. Martha Graham pity To me, 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 dance beautiful men It is difficult to see the great dance effects as they happen, to see them accurately, catch them fast in memory. It is even more difficult to verbalize them for critical discussion. The particular essence of a performance, its human sweep of articulate rhythm in space and in time has no specific terminology to describe it by. Martha Graham dance essence memories You give all your life to doing this one thing. It sounds grim, it sounds frightening - it isn't - it has a great gaiety at times and a great wonder. Martha Graham sound giving life How many leaps did Nijinksy take before he made the one that startled the world? He took thousands and thousands and it is that legend that gives us the courage, the energy, and arrogance to go back into the studio knowing that while there is so little time to be born to the instant, you will work again among the many that you may once more be born as one. That is a dancer's world. Martha Graham dancer knowing giving Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. It is a place. Martha Graham nouns verbs drama Repetition not for monotony but the ecstasy it induces. Martha Graham repetition ecstasy monotony There is fatigue so great that the body cries, even in its sleep. Martha Graham dance body sleep All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is a mother to her husband. Clytemnestra is every woman when she kills. Martha Graham wicked husband mother
