“tell me friend, just who are you dancing for?”
“I wanted to begin not with characters or ideas, but with movements . . .I wanted significant movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge.”
–Martha Graham
Often described as impacting dance the way Picasso impacted visual art, Martha Graham was one of the most important cornerstones of contemporary dance.
A pioneer from every angle, she not only was the first dancer to ever perform at the White House, but the first dancer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award that can be given to a civilian in the United States.
The ironic part of it is that despite all the honors bestowed upon her in her life of 96 years, she rarely, if ever, allowed her performances to be photographed or videotaped.
So when talking about things like dancing to express emotion and energy, what better example do we have than the woman who turned the concept of dance upside down and inside out?
Here is quote from Martha by way of her biographer Agnes DeMille:
“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 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 have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you…..no artist is pleased…there is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than others”
If there is a better example of a driving philosophy for all of us to follow as dancers, as interpreters and conveyers of emotion through movement, I have yet to find it.
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So beautifully said by Ms. Graham. It is what I strive for in many of the things that I do. It is difficult to not judge yourself, compare yourself against others or be concerned with how you appear to others. All of our lives it is drummed into our heads that we must look our best, we must behave appropriately, we shouldn’t show too much emotion (especially men) and as a result it is a challenge to overcome our resistance to expression.
I think that to be who your really are and to express who you are and what you feel however you choose is probably the most liberating thing you can do for yourself and others. A whole new world has opened up to me this year because I have allowed myself to dance, despite my fears of inadequacy. My fears of inadequacy exist in almost every aspect of my life. What I gain from Ms. Grahams statement is that it isn’t inadequacy that is the problem, it’s the fear. Fear can paralyze, where sense of inadequacy or imperfection can motivate us to keep going forward.
What a great topic and quote. It is definitely good food for thought. Thanks for sharing it.
Tonia – beautifully said! I often beleive it is the things that scare us the most, are the things we most need to do.
Graham was such an inspirational woman and opened so many new avenues for dance. And what she created, remains one of the most challenging dance techniques I’ve ever experienced.
Tonia, I am fairly sure that every single person on this earth has felt inadequate is some area of their life. Again, like you said, it’s how you deal with it. You can use it as a motivator and allow that “dissatisfied satisfaction” push you to do big and better things.
It’s great that you highlighted the fact that the imperfection isn’t the problem. Feeling inadequate isn’t the problem. It’s the fear of those feelings that locks us into paralysis and prevents good things from happening.
Zen moment…
Except the existence of every emotion and feeling and be okay with owning it. Don’t try to run or escape from inadequacy, fear, anger etc..look it in the eyes and acknowledge its presence.
I’ve learned that energy spent on debating whether or not a feeling should exist is energy wasted indeed.
Now I look at it as, “hey, I feel xx emotion, and that’s fine” what do I do with it, and how can I go forward.
I think Graham’s words were simply an extension of a universal truth: If you allow the current to bring you to shore, you will have infinitely more energy to walk upstream.
Reed,
So you’ve worked with Graham’s technique?
Give us a nutshell of your experience with it!
Also, the gentlemen you worked with in class the other day was absolutely THRILLED at the way you were able to gently dissect and built up his movements…!
And since I taught you, I will take a piece of that credit -thank you very much!! haha!!