The body says what words cannot.
Martha GrahamRead
Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the beauty and significance of the human foot in dance, celebrating both its functionality and the artistry it brings.
Martha Graham highlights the often-overlooked wonder of the human foot, which, despite being a small part of the body, supports our entire weight and enables movement. The act of dancing is portrayed as a joyous celebration of this miraculous ability, where every step becomes a tribute to the capabilities of our bodies.
In practice
Using this quote during a dance recital to inspire performers.
The body says what words cannot.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather to all who can read it.
What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.
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.
The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.
I immersed myself in books and rock 'n' roll, the adolescent salvation.
Most people read poetry listening for echoes because the echoes are familiar to them. They wade through it the way a boy wades through water, feeling with his toes for the bottom: The echoes are the bottom.
When you want to touch the reader's heart, try to be colder. It gives their grief as it were, a background, against which it stands out in greater relief.
That song helped make me a world citizen. It allowed me to live, work and sing in any city on the globe. It changed my whole life.
If your only dance experience is the Nutcracker, it will be a shock; hopefully shocking in a good way.
Where words leave off, music begins.
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