Our surroundings on the Skidmore College Campus remind me of Allegheny, Pennsylvania where Martha Graham spent her young life. From my 9th story dorm room window I look out and see the vast space as Martha saw it. The contours of the American landscape meet the heavens at the pale blue horizon. These, I imagine, are the sights that inspired and defined Graham’s work as an artist.
We’ve been here for only four days but have already absorbed a plethora of information. As we learn repertory (Clytemnestra, Panorama) our understanding of the technique deepens. Here in lies Martha’s genius – her technique comes from the repertory; the repertory came from her observations and discoveries of the human body and its potential for movement and expression. In no other technique can so many different kinds of bodies perform with such precise clarity and efficiency. To learn the Graham technique is to learn how to live – with passion, focus, energy, risk, and dedication.
This is truly a Graham intensive. We are exploring Graham from all angles and perspectives. For the next three weeks we are dancers, students, performers, choreographers, audience members, historians, critics, anthropologists, and journalists. The comprehensive view of Martha Graham we’re presented with gives volume to our technical and spiritual work as artists. Many levels of understanding (mental, physical, emotional, artistic) build on top of each other to create an explosive force that emanates from the core of each dancer.
