The body says what words cannot.
Martha GrahamRead
To me, this acquirement of nervous, physical, and emotional concentration is the one element possessed to the highest degree by the truly great dancers of the world. Its acquirement is the result of discipline, of energy in the deep sense. That is why there are so few great dancers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great dancers achieve a unique level of concentration through discipline and energy.
Martha Graham emphasizes that the highest caliber of dancers embodies intense nervous, physical, and emotional concentration, which is fundamental to their craft. This level of mastery does not happen by chance; it is cultivated through rigorous discipline and an intrinsic energy, which is why truly great dancers are rare.
Themes
DanceConcentrationDisciplineEnergyGreatness
In practice
Example use cases
In a dance class when discussing the importance of focus.
More from Martha Graham
All quotes βNobody cares if you can't dance well.
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Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather to all who can read it.
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What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.
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No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.
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The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.
Martha GrahamRead
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