"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"The instrument by which the dance expresses itself is also the instrument by which life is lived: the human body." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"Dancing is a very living art. It is essentially of the moment, although a very old art. A dancer’s art is lived while he is dancing. Nothing is left of one’s art except the pictures and the memories when ones dancing days are over." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"Think of the magic of the foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle and the dance is a celebration of that miracle." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"Keep the channel open. … No artist is ever pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"It is difficult to see the great dance effects as they happen, to see them accurately, catch them fast in memory. It is even more difficult to verbalize them for critical discussion. The particular essence of a performance, its human sweep of articulate rhythm in space and in time has no specific terminology to describe it by." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"The spine is the tree of life. Respect it." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"The next time you look into the mirror, just look at the way the ears rest next to the head; look at the way the hairline grows; think of all the little bones in your wrist. It is a miracle. And the dance is a celebration of that miracle." 

Martha Graham

(Source: theballetblog)

"I feel that the essence of dance is the expression of man—the landscape of his soul. I hope that every dance I do reveals something of myself or some wonderful thing a human can be." 

Martha Graham

"No artist is ahead of his time. He is the time. It is just that others are behind the time" 

Martha Graham

"People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with that, you live all your life." 

Martha Graham