Portraits of a Lady
Martha Graham is the Georgia O’Keefe of dance. No matter what the source material, the primary subject of her works is womanhood.
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The Royal Ballet, with their polite style and emphasis on purity of line, does not always make for the best interpreter of George Balanchine’s works. When asked what he looked for in his dancers, the Russian-American choreographer famously declared, “I don't want people who want to dance. I want people who have to dance.” This hunger is vital to perform his ballets, which require, among other attributes, speed, athleticism, attack, and an expansive use of space. "What are you saving it for? You might be dead tomorrow,” was another one of his well-known idioms, posed to dancers in hopes of inspiring more committed performances.
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Martha Graham is the Georgia O’Keefe of dance. No matter what the source material, the primary subject of her works is womanhood.
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Continue ReadingWith his peerless vocabulary of postmodern abstract moves—or, as he’s called it, “gumbo style,” which blends Black dance with classical ballet techniques—Kyle Abraham, a 2013 MacArthur Genius grant awardee, has been making thought-provoking works for decades.
Continue ReadingCan art save civilization? The question matters deeply to Brenda Way, who has dedicated her life to the arts in San Francisco.
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