ABSTRACT
It is fortunate for our heritage that one of the most important figures in the development of modern dance, Martha Graham, has been eloquent in the expression of her beliefs. In her personal manifesto for the dancer (and, by implication, the choreographer), she allies the experience of life with the experience of dance. Learning, in both, is acquired through practice; the dancer becomes 'an athlete of God'. The training of the dancer requires a holistic approach to body/mind and the cultivation of the whole being. Graham pleads for openness to the past, the 'blood memory' of the body, and to the present. The dancer must be 'reborn to the instant', permitting feeling and vulnerability.
