Quotes by Dancer | Beyond Motive

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Quotes by Dancer

"And dance is wonderful because dance is so immediate."

"And dance is wonderful because dance is so immediate."

Graeme Murphy, Australian Dancer

44

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

Twyla Tharp, American Dancer

41

"There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself."

"There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself."

Doris Humphrey, American Dancer

Power, Strength, Emotions, Nerves

29

"I have been very lucky to work in so many new ballets, but that is what a dancer's work is."

"I have been very lucky to work in so many new ballets, but that is what a dancer's work is."

Mikhail Baryshnikov, American Dancer

29

"In ballet a complicated story is impossible to tell... we can't dance synonyms."

"In ballet a complicated story is impossible to tell... we can't dance synonyms."

George Balanchine, Russian Dancer

29

"Body language is a very powerful tool. We had body language before we had speech, and apparently, 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words."

"Body language is a very powerful tool. We had body language before we had speech, and apparently, 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words."

Deborah Bull, British Dancer

Body, Conversation, Language, Speech

27

"Censorship is the height of vanity."

"Censorship is the height of vanity."

Martha Graham, American Dancer

Censorship, Vanity

25

"I learned to love dance for its own sake."

"I learned to love dance for its own sake."

Suzanne Farrell, American Dancer

22

"The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."

"The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."

Mata Hari, Dutch Dancer

20

"I used to want the words "She tried" on my tombstone. Now I want "She did it.""

"I used to want the words "She tried" on my tombstone. Now I want "She did it.""

Katherine Dunham, American Dancer

Now, Want, Words

19

"The ballet is a purely female thing; it is a woman, a garden of beautiful flowers, and man is the gardener."

"The ballet is a purely female thing; it is a woman, a garden of beautiful flowers, and man is the gardener."

George Balanchine, Russian Dancer

Ballet, Flowers, Garden, Man

19

"It's not magic! It's physics. The speed of the turn is what keeps you upright. It's like a spinning top."

"It's not magic! It's physics. The speed of the turn is what keeps you upright. It's like a spinning top."

Deborah Bull, British Dancer

19

"Take your work seriously, but never yourself."

"Take your work seriously, but never yourself."

Margot Fonteyn, English Dancer

19

"I would have to challenge the term, modern dance. I don't really use that term in relation to my work. I simply think of it as dancing. I think of it as moving."

"I would have to challenge the term, modern dance. I don't really use that term in relation to my work. I simply think of it as dancing. I think of it as moving."

Twyla Tharp, American Dancer

Work, Dance, Challenge, Dancing

18

"The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark."

"The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark."

Agnes de Mille, American Dancer

Artist, May, Wrong

17

"The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul."

"The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul."

Isadora Duncan, American Dancer

17

"In fact, ballet companies did not exist in the Midwest when I was a child."

"In fact, ballet companies did not exist in the Midwest when I was a child."

Suzanne Farrell, American Dancer

16

"My feet are dogs."

"My feet are dogs."

Rudolf Nureyev, Russian Dancer

16

"With any project there's one or two things that you really want to do and that's going to crack it."

"With any project there's one or two things that you really want to do and that's going to crack it."

Matthew Bourne, English Dancer

16

"I liked tap, because I liked hearing the results of my movements."

"I liked tap, because I liked hearing the results of my movements."

Suzanne Farrell, American Dancer

Hearing, Results

16

"The real message of the Dance opens up the vistas of life to all who have the urge to express beauty with no other instrument than their own bodies, with no apparatus and no dependence on anything other than space."

"The real message of the Dance opens up the vistas of life to all who have the urge to express beauty with no other instrument than their own bodies, with no apparatus and no dependence on anything other than space."

Ruth St. Denis, American Dancer

Beauty, Life, Dance, Dependence

15

"I think the Olympics could help us reach more people."

"I think the Olympics could help us reach more people."

Graeme Murphy, Australian Dancer

15

"I don't want to be the Hollywood girl... I'm Southern and old-fashioned."

"I don't want to be the Hollywood girl... I'm Southern and old-fashioned."

Jaime Pressly, American Dancer

Hollywood, Old, Want

15

"I get speeding ticket like everybody else. If the restaurant is full I'm waiting in line like everybody else."

"I get speeding ticket like everybody else. If the restaurant is full I'm waiting in line like everybody else."

Mikhail Baryshnikov, American Dancer

15

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

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

Martha Graham, American Dancer

Dance, Magic, Weight

14

"Our bodies are at once the receiving and transmitting stations for life itself. It is the highest wisdom to recognize this fact and train our bodies to render them sensitive and responsive to nature. art and religion."

"Our bodies are at once the receiving and transmitting stations for life itself. It is the highest wisdom to recognize this fact and train our bodies to render them sensitive and responsive to nature. art and religion."

Ruth St. Denis, American Dancer

Art, Life, Religion, Wisdom

14

"Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike."

"Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike."

Margot Fonteyn, English Dancer

Art, Life, People, Artists

14

"Money is a never-ending problem."

"Money is a never-ending problem."

Alvin Ailey, American Dancer

14

"My lasting impression of Truman Capote is that he was a terribly gentle, terribly sensitive, and terribly sad man."

"My lasting impression of Truman Capote is that he was a terribly gentle, terribly sensitive, and terribly sad man."

Alvin Ailey, American Dancer

Impression, Man

14

"The practice mirror is to be used for the correction of faults, not for a love affair, and the figure you watch should not become your dearest friend."

"The practice mirror is to be used for the correction of faults, not for a love affair, and the figure you watch should not become your dearest friend."

Agnes de Mille, American Dancer

Love, Friend, Correction, Faults

14

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body."

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body."

Martha Graham, American Dancer

Soul, Dance, Body, Language

14

"To me, a building - if it's beautiful - is the love of one man, he's made it out of his love for space, materials, things like that."

"To me, a building - if it's beautiful - is the love of one man, he's made it out of his love for space, materials, things like that."

Martha Graham, American Dancer

Love, Building, Man, Space

14

"We have the capacity to receive messages from the stars and the songs of the night winds."

"We have the capacity to receive messages from the stars and the songs of the night winds."

Ruth St. Denis, American Dancer

Night, Songs, Stars

14

"I believe that dance communicates man's deepest, highest and most truly spiritual thoughts and emotions far better than words, spoken or written."

"I believe that dance communicates man's deepest, highest and most truly spiritual thoughts and emotions far better than words, spoken or written."

Ted Shawn, American Dancer

Dance, Thoughts, Emotions, Man

14

"It seems to me monstrous that anyone should believe that the jazz rhythm expresses America. Jazz rhythm expresses the primitive savage."

"It seems to me monstrous that anyone should believe that the jazz rhythm expresses America. Jazz rhythm expresses the primitive savage."

Isadora Duncan, American Dancer

14

"I'm proud of my Irish heritage and culture and this show will feature a lot of Irish dancing."

"I'm proud of my Irish heritage and culture and this show will feature a lot of Irish dancing."

Michael Flatley, Irish Dancer

Culture, Dancing, Will

14

"I didn't have any doubts about my choice of career, but I had constant doubts about my ability, yes."

"I didn't have any doubts about my choice of career, but I had constant doubts about my ability, yes."

Suzanne Farrell, American Dancer

Ability, Career, Choice

14

"A lot of people insisted on a wall between modern dance and ballet. I'm beginning to think that walls are very unhealthy things."

"A lot of people insisted on a wall between modern dance and ballet. I'm beginning to think that walls are very unhealthy things."

Twyla Tharp, American Dancer

People, Dance, Ballet, Beginning

14

"Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people."

"Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people."

Alvin Ailey, American Dancer

14

"Racism tears down your insides so that no matter what you achieve, you're not quite up to snuff."

"Racism tears down your insides so that no matter what you achieve, you're not quite up to snuff."

Alvin Ailey, American Dancer

13

"You know, this isn't theatre like it used to be."

"You know, this isn't theatre like it used to be."

Katherine Dunham, American Dancer

13

"I loved tests because it was another form of competing, a healthy competition."

"I loved tests because it was another form of competing, a healthy competition."

Suzanne Farrell, American Dancer

Competition, Tests

13

"It's one of the things that looks good written down, but the reality is that you think about the pieces you're doing and try to bear in mind everyone in the audience."

"It's one of the things that looks good written down, but the reality is that you think about the pieces you're doing and try to bear in mind everyone in the audience."

Matthew Bourne, English Dancer

13

"I'm very conscious that I want the dance audience to respond and respect what I'm doing, so I'm always very true to the music and I honour the music in the way I see it - I don't mess around with the music."

"I'm very conscious that I want the dance audience to respond and respect what I'm doing, so I'm always very true to the music and I honour the music in the way I see it - I don't mess around with the music."

Matthew Bourne, English Dancer

Music, Dance, Respect, Want

13

"Young dancers are training at a very vulnerable time in their lives, through adolescence, and while they are trying to work out who they are as people, never mind as a dancer. So train the whole person, not just the dancer."

"Young dancers are training at a very vulnerable time in their lives, through adolescence, and while they are trying to work out who they are as people, never mind as a dancer. So train the whole person, not just the dancer."

Deborah Bull, British Dancer

Time, Work, People, Adolescence

13

"I could work out a lot of my emotions by going to class and dancing."

"I could work out a lot of my emotions by going to class and dancing."

Suzanne Farrell, American Dancer

Work, Class, Dancing, Emotions

13

"Sometimes you don't know what you've got until you put it in front of an audience - and the enthusiasm for the show from the audience has been just incredible."

"Sometimes you don't know what you've got until you put it in front of an audience - and the enthusiasm for the show from the audience has been just incredible."

Matthew Bourne, English Dancer

13

"I never studied with Balanchine, but his work was very important to me."

"I never studied with Balanchine, but his work was very important to me."

Twyla Tharp, American Dancer

13

"God creates, I do not create. I assemble and I steal everywhere to do it - from what I see, from what the dancers can do, from what others do."

"God creates, I do not create. I assemble and I steal everywhere to do it - from what I see, from what the dancers can do, from what others do."

George Balanchine, Russian Dancer

13

"Normally our season is seven weeks in the Drama Theatre and four weeks in the Opera Theater."

"Normally our season is seven weeks in the Drama Theatre and four weeks in the Opera Theater."

Graeme Murphy, Australian Dancer

Drama, Opera, Theater, Theatre

12

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