I had the honor of studying on scholarship at the Martha Graham School in the summer of 1994. I was given this scholarship by Diane Gray, the director of the school and a woman who was given many of Martha's roles after Martha could no longer dance them. It was such an honor to train in that school knowing it had been founded by such a genius as Martha Graham.

This book itself is, in my opinion, the best record of Martha's art. This is a legendary and important work for the dance world. "The Kick," which is featured on the cover of this book, is perhaps the most "iconographic" picture in dance history. This book even includes pictures of Martha with her then-husband Erick Hawkins, as well as with future Modern Dance legend and innovator Merce Cunningham, in a dance Martha created called, "Every Soul is a Circus." This dance was one of Martha's few forays into comedy.

Martha was a genius who changed dance forever. And this book helps to insure that her legacy will continue.
If you can afford it... and you are an admirer of Martha Graham, I would recommend getting this book.

Barbara Morgan, did a wonderful work with Martha Graham, she captured the essence of the movement, she took so many pictures of the early works, such as Frontier, Lamentation, Primitive Mysteries, that you are able to feel what the piece is about, also the size of the pictures in the book, gives even more credits to the Author. Graham Classics, Satyric Festival Song, and Deep Song, have been reconstructed with the help of Barbara Morgan pictures, in the late 80's, even Martha agreed that the actuals versions of the pieces are close to what she did... This is a book to have in your Library if you are a Friend of the Art, enjoy your new book.

Dorthy Bird was a gifted dancer, and with Joyce Greenberg's assistance the reader is given extraordinary insight into the world of Martha Graham. Ms. Greenberg captures the exquisite world of modern dance and the life of a beautiful person, Dorothy Bird.. Brian Lamb should interview her on Booknotes.

When asked whether she wanted to be remembered as a dancer or choreographer, Martha replied, "As a dancer, of course!" And so I will refer to this as the memoir of a dancer who, by her own description, did not "choreograph," but simply made up dances. She did not set out to be the great innovator she became, but wanted to express things inexpressible with then-available techniques, so she had to make her own technique. "Choreography," Martha writes in this book, "is a big word that can hide a lot of sins."

What an incredible life she lived! Honored on almost every continent, described by some Japanese artists as having developed a dance technique perfectly suited for the Asian body, received the French Legion of Honor medal, a grove of trees was recently planted in her memory in Israel's national forest, and Martha is the only dancer in US history to receive the highest national honor for civilians - the Medal of Freedom, and compared by many to Picasso. And yet she never let any of the fame and praise distract her from her one true love: dance. Such a varied life and long life (she lived to 96) is hard to describe in the setting of a linear autobiography, which thankfully this is not. This book is not broken into chapters, but simply divided with inventive border use and beautiful pictures. Being mostly a collection of memories, musing, and anecdotes, this book perfectly illustrates what Agnes De Mill wrote in "Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham", that Martha wanted to leave behind a legend rather than an accurate biography. But it is an interesting legend that she leaves, and the stories, musings, and anecdotes are beautifully written and often illustrated with accompanying pictures. Martha most likely had no concept of linear, but being an artist she probably lived in a circular world where beginnings were endings and endings were middles. "Life happens in spirals," Martha had said to a dance student in reference to her floor exercise of the same name. And this was years before spiral shape of the DNA structure was discovered.

My favorite story is about the time Martha and her sister Gertie, both of whom were members of the legendary Denishawn dance school and company, were thrown off of a train. Unbeknownst to the train conductor, the Denishawn company was famous for their exotic dances. Still in costume, they had been mistaken for gypsies (this was early in the 20th century). They tried to explain to the conductor that they were dancers, but he did not listen. Before they left the train, Martha writes, "Gertie gave a savory Irish insult, 'I spit on you.'"

One of the interesting things is the revelation that Catholicism had a deep impact on Martha Graham's work. As a young girl, Martha had a Catholic governess who took her to a few masses. Joseph Campbell, author of "The Power of Myth," says that rituals are the enactment of myth, and some of Martha's signature dances are the re-enactment of classical myth, mostly Greek. But I can't help but think the pageantry of Catholic ritual had an impact on Graham's mind. Interestingly, Joseph Campbell was Catholic and his wife Jean was once a Martha Graham dancer.

This book was a bible of my teen years and even inspired me to attend classes at the Martha Graham school in New York (thanks to the generous scholarship of Diane Gray), as well as considering becoming a Martha Graham dancer. I chose not to become a professional dancer, but this book still retains great memories for me. Martha's memoir initiated many other interests of mine, such as the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the curious subject of intuition - Martha wrote that often her dances came from a type of intuition, or "Blood Memory." And she quoted Emily Dickinson, "Intuition picks up the key that memory dropped."

If you know, who Martha Graham was, then it's time to find out what people who worked with her really think about her work, and their experience for their life. Names such as ,Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Pearl Lang, and more, are in the book, and they are saying what they think . Robert Tracy, the Author, meet all of them, and through his writing, it's your turn to meet them, have a good reading...

This book is a very expensive item, and I think only people who are in Love with Martha, should have that book. The printing is actually very interesting, because it respects the way she wrote in her original Notebooks, if you are not familiar with her work, or her life, you might need, to use other books to support your reading. Inside you will also find, very precise description of her pieces, and how she wanted them. If you want to have that book, make sure to get other books, such as, "Goddess", "Sixteen Dances", and "Martha" from Agnes DeMille, these books will help you to know who's who, Have a wonderful reading, and an amazing day...

This is an interesting book if you are into modern dance. Graham was, of course, one of the great innovators of an entirely new genre of artistic expression, modern dance, and she is very open about her constant struggles and triumphs. She is a true American original.

In this book, you meet St-Denis, Eric Hawkins, and Merce Cunningham, and manz others, all of whom were influences on her and whom she influenced. They are fascinatingly placed in both personal and historical context.

While the content of this book is exceptional and extremely valuable, it is oddly structured, kind of a series of vignettes that are not even broken down into chapters. This was disconcerting to me and it made the thread of her narrative hard to follow at times. It was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, opne of her last books.

I recommend it to those already interested, but not to those who are not deeply hooked on dance. This work is full of love, some pride, and the obscure tragedies of her life.

What an incredible life she lived! Honored on almost every continent, described by some Japanese artists as having developed a dance technique perfectly suited for the Asian body, received the French Legion of Honor medal, a grove of trees was recently planted in her memory in Israel's national forest, and Martha is the only dancer in US history to receive the highest national honor for civilians - the Medal of Freedom, and compared by many to Picasso. And yet she never let any of the fame and praise distract her from her one true love: dance. Such a varied life and long life (she lived to 96) is hard to describe in the setting of a linear autobiography, which thankfully this is not. This book is not broken into chapters, but simply divided with inventive border use and beautiful pictures. Being mostly a collection of memories, musing, and anecdotes, this book perfectly illustrates what Agnes De Mill wrote in "Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham", that Martha wanted to leave behind a legend rather than an accurate biography. But it is an interesting legend that she leaves, and the stories, musings, and anecdotes are beautifully written and often illustrated with accompanying pictures. Martha most likely had no concept of linear, but being an artist she probably lived in a circular world where beginnings were endings and endings were middles. "Life happens in spirals," Martha had said to a dance student in reference to her floor exercise of the same name. And this was years before spiral shape of the DNA structure was discovered.

My favorite story is about the time Martha and her sister Gertie, both of whom were members of the legendary Denishawn dance school and company, were thrown off of a train. Unbeknownst to the train conductor, the Denishawn company was famous for their exotic dances. Still in costume, they had been mistaken for gypsies (this was early in the 20th century). They tried to explain to the conductor that they were dancers, but he did not listen. Before they left the train, Martha writes, "Gertie gave a savory Irish insult, 'I spit on you.'"

This book was a bible of my teen years and even inspired me to attend classes at the Martha Graham school in New York (thanks to the generous scholarship of Diane Gray), as well as considering becoming a Martha Graham dancer. I chose not to become a professional dancer, but this book still retains great memories for me. Martha's memoir initiated many other interests of mine, such as the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the curious subject of intuition - Martha wrote that often her dances came from a type of intuition, or "Blood Memory." And she quoted Emily Dickinson, "Intuition picks up the key that memory dropped."

This is my favorite book ever. Martha Graham claims that she is simply a dancer but she is an excellent writer. And, from what I read from Blood Memory a formidable woman. An "artiste" whose thoughts, both deep and candid, are very profound. In all aspects she is truly an "Athlete of God."

Agnes De Mille, has an objective view of Martha Graham, and at the same time, a very close relationship with the Artist. Her description on Martha's moods, are eloquent, and astute, as if you were Agnes De Mille herself, witnessing the intricate life of this Genius, Martha Graham.
The beggining of the book, might be a bit long if you are not a Dancer, but once it gets to the point, it is a very exciting book, you must own it.
Enjoy your readding...

It is unfortunate that this book is out of print, for it gives a overview of one of the most brilliant choreographers of the twentieth century. The mind and values of Martha Graham are exposed in detail by the author, and it serves its purpose in giving the curious reader insight into the life and dance technique of a woman who single-handedly developed one of the most original forms of movement to this date. Anyone who is overcome by watching the dances of Graham will definitely appreciate this book, written by a person who had known Graham for fifty-eight years. Included in the book are an excellent collection of black-and-white photographs, both of Graham and some of the people she worked closely with. Indeed, Graham was a beautiful woman, and her personality, as well as her physical beauty, are exemplified nicely in these photographs.

The knowledge one can gain from the reading of this book makes it well worth the time, for by reading it one can understand how Graham developed her technique, interestingly without any government aid; there was no National Endowment of the Arts to assist in her endeavors. Graham viewed dance as a celebration, and eschewed the attitude of those who danced for monetary gain. One reads of Graham's relationship with Louis Horst, and of the popularity of the writings of the philosopher Frederich Nietzsche among Horst, Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Isadora Duncan.

Graham's father told her that "bodies never lie", and this statment apparently had a major influence on her resulting "philosophy of dance", as well as the influence of Ruth St. Denis and Erick Hawkins. The author discusses the differences between the dance technique of Graham and Humphrey, the latter being characterized as mathematical by the author, the former emotional. But I find the Graham technique straightforward to view from a mathematical standpoint, if one is so inclined.

The technical aspects of the Graham technique are brought out nicely in the book, one example being the marvelous description of the "spiral fall" and its recovery. One also learns of the use of "plastiques", i.e, the posing and moving in scarves and costumes by the dancers. Also, it is interesting to learn of the omission of mirrors in the early Graham studios; lest the student, in the author's words, "drown in his own image". The class routine for the Graham dancers, particularly the floor exerices, along with the spasm of the the diaphragm, are the most well-known manifestation of the Graham technique, and are discussed nicely in this book.

It is fortunate that Graham was able to find such dedicated students for her classes. Forcing to live a frugal existence, these students found her dances a "religion that they served", according to the author. Indeed, if one has ever viewed modern dance performances of the Graham technique, one can see this attitude in the dancers, as though they were priveleged, and moving to a unique traceform in space never before executed.

The Graham technique is brilliant, and it forces one to rethink preconceived notions of what movement must be, and instead speculate on what it could be. Graham in her works made it readily apparent that gravity is real, but that it need not be a total master. Even on the floor the Graham dancers are in control, at least momentarily, interpolating brilliantly between order and bodily dissonance. Martha Graham, as protrayed by the author, was an innovator and a determined individualist, and has given us a unique collection of traceforms, both in our memories and in books and videos, that will embolden us and refresh us always.....

Agnes de Mille, a distinguished and popular choreographer in her own right, and a sometimes intimate friend of Martha Graham, has written an outstanding biography of this iconic woman. The story of Martha Graham is inevitably the story of Modern Dance-- which many would say she invented--and the history of American artists--of which she was the queen.

De Mille's book is both extremely informative and thoroughly enjoyable. She gives you the history you need in order to put Graham's revolutionary dance technique in context, and then she offers personal insights and observations on the life, love affairs, personality, triumphs, and tragedies of the inimitable Martha.

A portrait of a truly incredible, inspiring, tiny giant of a woman by another who is at least her equal in intellect and probably in artistry as well.

For anyone interested in dance, this book is an absolute must.

Martha Graham: A Dancers Life by Russell Freedman, the full-length biography of Martha Graham, takes a deep look into Martha and the peole around her. She was a dancer, teacher, and choreographer who changed the world. Her life began in Pittsburg where she was born in 1894. The book also tells about the lives of her dancers, students, close friends, and lovers. The biography goes into great detail up until the day she died in 1991.
I liked this book because of all the details it gives about her life and the way it tells about all the heroic things she did. I would recommend this book to dancers and people who enjoy the things Martha did in her 97 years of life.

I bought this book after reading an interesting article about Martha Graham in the New Yorker about a year ago. I was attracted to the book by the beautiful photography, in evidence on the cover (and throughout the book, as I soon learned). However, I was interested in reading about Martha's "demons" and character flaws, as well as her relationships and focus on archetypal figures in dance. Unfortunately, this book is a pretty happy-go-lucky, bland account of her life. In fact, it's so bland that I would have given it three stars if the pictures in it were not so beautiful and well-suited to the descriptions given in the text.

This is a wonderful book and story. Being a dancer myself, I am very inspired. You'll enjoy Martha's "positive" attitude and wit throughout this story of the growth of a piece of history. Please, read this book, I recommend it!