Martha Graham: The Evolution of Her Dance Theory and Training

"Focuses on the celebrated technique, though the stuff of memoir naturally seeps in as well . . . . The illuminating, aphoristic comments appended to specific exercises recall the rich verbal imagery Graham employed, famously, in her teaching."--Los Angeles Times "The only book in print with a syllabus of her movements (including advanced work)."--Dancer "Recommended for all dance and theater collections . . . . Invaluable."--Backstage

Marian Horosko brings together new and previously published interviews of Martha Graham's "family" of dancers, teachers, choreographers, and actors and interweaves them with provocative biographical material about the life and influence of the creator of classic modern dance.

The interviews testify to the remarkable legacy that inspired the careers of many in the dance world, among them dancers from the contemporary generation who inherited her technique but never saw her perform. The interviews of teachers, all former Graham students, reflect their passion for maintaining Graham's few fixed principles and her emotional integrity. Some of the foremost actors of Graham's time describe their stormy encounters with her as she attempted to teach them that "movement doesn't lie."

This book offers the only syllabus in print of Graham's work. Drawn from a private film of a class for her advanced and professional company members in the 1960s, it includes comments from Graham and speaks to her use of imagery in teaching. Detailed photographs document the development of Graham's choreographic legacy, which expanded and changed as she created each new work, more than 200 in all. These images, along with the interviews and commentary, plot the evolution of Graham’s methodology and vocabulary of movement, on which classical modern dance continues to rely.

Marian Horosko (1925-2017), was a member of the Metropolitan Ballet from 1951 to 1954 and then for eight years with the New York City Ballet. She was the author or editor of five books on dance, including May O'Donnell: Modern Dance Pioneer and The Dancer's Survival Manual: Everything You Need to Know from the First Class to Career Change.