A Dancer’s World

Duration: 12:00

Year Published: 1957

Creator: Peter Glushanok WQED

Complete Record: Martha Graham and Leroy Leatherman explain the dancer's craft as members of her company illustrate her philosophy in a dance created for the film. Opens with a view of dancers backstage stretching before a performance. We pan to Martha Graham, who is sitting at a mirror in her dressing room. She turns to the camera and begins to talk about dance. We then see the dance rehearsal space and various dancers in leotards taking turns doing their thing. when the finish a movement they hold a final pose while the next person begins. Then we see a choreographed dance, and retirn to Graham putting on makeup. She has a gigantic 50’s hair pin in her up-do that looks like a vulcan spike. She explains more, and back to the studio. We cut back and forth like this for a while and see various combinations of dancers, male and female, solo, pairs, and groups. Finally, we see Graham in full costume, a sort of mediterranean dress and the huge hair pin. She exits the dressing room to join other dancers going towards the stage.