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retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7746208-ballet-for-martha?from_search=true
Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. 2010. Ballet
for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Ill. Brian Floca. New York: Flash
Point. ISBN 9781596433380
PLOT SUMMARY
Martha Graham was a famous dancer and choreographer who had
a story she wanted to tell through a dance she described as “A legend of
American living” (p. 6). She chose Aaron
Copland, a noted American composer, to bring her dance to life through his music. For her set design, she selected artist and craftsman Isamu Noguchi. Together, the
three created Graham’s most famous work, the classic American ballet, Appalachian Spring.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ballet for Martha:
Making Appalachian Spring begins with a simple introduction to the three
collaborators of this ballet and defines the role each person played in the creation
of the Appalachian Spring. Martha Graham wrote the script for the ballet
and is also the choreographer and a dancer in the ballet. Aaron Copeland is the composer of the
ballet’s musical score, and Isamu Noguchi is the artist who designed the
ballet’s set.
The story is told in a clear, straightforward tone with a
third-person narrative style and is enhanced by beautiful watercolor
illustrations. The choice to refer to the main characters by their first names
throughout the story (i.e., Martha as opposed to Ms. Graham) is a strong stylistic choice because it makes the people more accessible and familiar to the
reader. For each collaborator, the accompanying, realistic drawings of their main contribution further serves to bring each character to life for the reader.
In order to understand the vital role collaboration played
in the creation of this ballet, the creative partnership between Martha and
Aaron is explored through both the text and the illustrations. Martha’s unique style of dancing is explained
with the aid of various pictures that demonstrate the angular and unusual
movements often required of the dancers in her performances. Aaron’s creative process for developing the
musical score is shared; the energy of the music is evident in several illustrations which show the dancers learning to pair their dance steps to the
accompanying musical arrangement in each scene.
Next, a simple outline of the story along with the main characters in the ballet are defined and revealed through the text and the accompanying two-page
illustration. Throughout the book, the creative and emotional demands on the dancers while developing the choreography is told through the text. Often, the facial expressions of the dancers
depicted in the illustrations further help to convey the emotions experienced by
the characters in the ballet.
Martha’s partnership with Isamu and her stringent
requirements for the set design are also explained. Shown in the accompanying pictures, the
reader gains an understanding of the hard work required of the dancers as they
learned to perform their steps as they move around the physically
demanding set. Through the
illustrations, the reader gains an understanding of the critical role the set
plays in telling the story of this ballet.
Then, after months of rehearsals, opening night has finally
arrived. First, the various
instruments and musicians required to complete the orchestra are shown with handwritten labels defining each instrument along with a detailed illustration. The action, emotions, and events of the dance are explained
step-by-step, scene-by-scene, through both text and illustrations. Next, a drawing depicts the conclusion of the
performance where the ballet is received with critical acclaim by the audience
and receives a standing ovation. The final picture of the book shows a
different dance company bringing to life this classic American ballet.
After the story, a two-page spread entitled “Curtain Call”
provides a detailed biography of Graham, Copeland, and Noguchi. Each biography
is accompanied by a black and white photograph of the person and is representative of their chosen craft. Most importantly, there is a two-page spread of “Notes and
Sources.” The citations for the story
are included in this section. Here, there is a “Bibliography” section which also includes sections for
Films and Websites. A “Notes” section
organized by page number provides detailed information and lists credit to the
person responsible for each specific quotation. Finally, there is a section
entitled “Photographs” which provides copyright information and citations for
the photographs included in the book.
Finally, there is an “Acknowledgements” section that contains the
author’s and illustrator’s recognition of the various individuals and
institutions that provided the invaluable information and resources used in the
production of this book. Members of the Martha
Graham Dance Company and the St. Louis Symphony were consulted on this
project. Similarly, the Noguchi Foundation
and Garden Museum, and the Aaron Copland Collection at the Library of Congress assisted
with providing information for this book.
Likewise, a modern-day visit to the Library of Congress auditorium contributed to
the recreation of the various scenes of their first dress rehearsal and first performance,
especially the images of dancers on the set, the orchestra, and the audience.
Beautiful watercolor and ink drawings bring the characters,
and especially the ballet, to life. The
text of the story and accompanying illustrations are contrasted against the
bright white paper used in the book. The end papers are a pale, sky blue reminiscent of the picture depicting the imaginary scene where the "dance will take place in sprintime, in the hills of western Pennsylvania, where a young farmer and his bride celebrate their wedding day" (p. 7).
Many of the
paintings used throughout the story are small scenes carefully grouped on a single
page. There
are several full-page illustrations which play with varying
point-of-views. Often, these pictures are accompanied by typed words. However, a few carefully chosen hand-written words are paired with the images in order to emphasize an emotion or essential theme in the ballet or with the characters, i.e., "contraction," "release," and "Heretic, 1929." Overall, the most striking images
are those which provide a close-up view of a pivotal dance scene or a crucial
moment in the development of the ballet.
There are a handful of illustrations which spread across two
pages. The first of these illustrations
is a depiction of Copeland in the foreground, seated at a piano composing the
musical score, while in the background is a close-up view of the sheet of music he
is composing. Then, there is an illustration of the eight dancers who will
perform the ballet, including Martha and her husband in the center. Next, the audience is depicted walking up to
the Library of Congress building at dusk for the first performance, with the
Capital Building shown in the distance. Several of the two-page illustrations draw the reader
directly into various scenes throughout the ballet. At last, the dancers are depicted on stage after the ballet is finished where, hand-in-hand, they are receiving a standing ovation from the audience for their
performance. The final illustration in the book shows a new group of different
dancers performing Appalachian Spring to remind the reader that this American
classic will be reborn each time it is presented anew.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Winner of the 2011 Orbis Pictus Award
A 2011 Sibert Medal Honor Book
From School Library
Journal: “The tale of how a dancer, a composer, and an artist/set designer
is a true story that shows how professional adults can work together,
regardless of differences in background, ethnicity, or experience.”
From Publisher’s
Weekly: “Capturing the drama of dance, music, and stage design in a
two-dimensional format is no easy feat, but this team does it with a noteworthy
grace of their own.”
From Booklist: “The
book as a whole beautifully captures the process of artistic creation. The
extensive back matter that concludes is welcome, but what readers will surely
want after putting this down is to see and hear Appalachian Spring for
themselves.”
CONNECTIONS
Collect other books about ballet to read such as:
- Copeland, Misty. Firebird. ISBN 9780399166150
- Snyder, Laurel. The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova. ISBN 9781452118901
- Stringer, Lauren. When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot. ISBN 9780547907253
Collect other Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan books to read such as:
- Action Jackson. ISBN 9780312367510
- Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist. ISBN 9780440419174
Collect other Brian Floca books to read such as:
- Locomotive. ISBN 9781416994152
- Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11. ISBN 9781416950462
- Racecar Alphabet. ISBN 9780689850912
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