Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring - Hardcover

Greenberg, Jan; Jordan, Sandra

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596433388 ISBN 13: 9781596433380

Publisher: Flash Point, 2010

Synopsis

A picture book about the making of Martha Graham's Appalachian Spring, her most famous dance performance

Martha Graham : trailblazing choreographer

Aaron Copland : distinguished American composer

Isamu Noguchi : artist, sculptor, craftsman

Award-winning authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan tell the story behind the scenes of the collaboration that created APPALACHIAN SPRING, from its inception through the score's composition to Martha's intense rehearsal process. The authors' collaborator is two-time Sibert Honor winner Brian Floca, whose vivid watercolors bring both the process and the performance to life.

About this title

About the Authors

Jan Greenberg is one of America’s most prominent writers about art and artists for young readers. Jan Greenberg lives in St. Louis. Her art-related books co-written with Sandra Jordan include Action Jackson (a Sibert Honor Book), as well as books on Van Gogh, Frank O. Gehry, Andy Warhol, and Chuck Close.

Sandra Jordan is one of America’s most prominent writers about art and artists for young readers. Sandra Jordan lives in New York, New York.

Her art-related books co-written with Jan Greenberg include Action Jackson (a Sibert Honor Book), as well as books on Van Gogh, Frank O. Gehry, Andy Warhol, and Chuck Close.

Brian Floca was born and raised in Temple, Texas. He attended college at Brown University, where he double majored in art and history, cartooned for the school newspaper, and took classes down College Hill at the Rhode Island School of Design.
One of his instructors at RISD was author and illustrator David Macaulay, who introduced him to author Avi. That led to a collaboration with Avi and editor Richard Jackson on the graphic novel City of Light, City of Dark. From there, he went on to illustrate additional stories by Avi and other authors, to continue studying art (including an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York), and to write and illustrate books of his own.

Brian's books include Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, Avi's Poppy and Ereth, Patricia MacLachlan's The True Gift, and, Ballet For Martha, a picture book by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. He's working now on his next book as author and illustrator. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

Gr 2-6–If Martha Graham's choreography for “Appalachian Spring” was a “valentine” to the world, as critics wrote in 1944, then this book is a love letter in return. Simple, poetic prose tells the story of the creation of one of the world's most-loved ballets and compositions, and Floca's graceful watercolor illustrations take admirers through every part of its development. Written in the present tense, the narrative has a sense of drama that carries readers along as if the events were happening in real time. Fascinating details about the collaboration among Graham, Copland, and Isamu Noguchi (set design) are well documented in the lengthy “curtain call,” notes, and resources pages, which read like a fantastic set of liner notes. Floca varies the illustrations from vignettes to bird's-eye views to landscapes and expertly capture the fluid movements of the dancers. The page layouts are well planned to create the most movement and interest. The authors researched extensively but found a way to crystallize all of the information into a gem that is approachable for young readers. More than anything, this work emphasizes the value of collaboration and celebrates the work that Graham, Copland, and Noguchi did to bring together the performing and visual arts. Readers may be inspired to go to Russell Freedman's Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life (Clarion, 1998) and should be encouraged to check out one of Leonard Bernstein's definitive recordings of “Appalachian Spring” and a video of the ballet.Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* Dance. Music. Set. All of these elements contribute to the experience of Appalachian Spring, an American classic that continues to thrill audiences. But authors Greenberg and Jordan are less concerned with presenting the ballet (although readers do get a strong sense of it) and more interested in how such an extraordinary collaboration came to be. How does an idea go from a jotted note on choreographer Martha Graham’s pad to a fierce triumph? In crisp yet patient sentences, the authors begin with a vision: a story to be told in movement and music, an American pioneer tale. Composer Aaron Copland takes his cues from his knowledge of Graham’s powerful yet simple dance style. A Shaker hymn leads him to the music, which in turn ignites Graham’s choreography. But one more element is needed. Enter artist Isamu Noguchi, whose set design is as spare and strong as the ballet. The collaboration continues as the dance becomes fully formed, opening triumphantly in 1944. In this book, too, disparate elements come together. Matching the mood of Graham’s moves, the writing is pared down but full of possibilities. Floca’s ink-and-watercolor artwork nimbly shifts from the prosaic (Copland reading Graham’s script) to the visionary (a bride and groom on the open prairie) to the several-spread finale of the ballet itself. The book as a whole beautifully captures the process of artistic creation. The extensive back matter that concludes is welcome, but what readers will surely want after putting this down is to see and hear Appalachian Spring for themselves. Grades 2-4. --Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Flash Point
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596433388
• ISBN 13: 9781596433380
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Floca Brian
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48