Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2010 The Martha of the title is legendary twentieth-century dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, and Greenberg and Jordan, noted chroniclers of art, here follow the artistic collaboration that created one of her best-known ballets, Appalachian Spring. Graham worked with composer Aaron Copland, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his score, and with sculptor Isamu Noguchi, who created the stage sets, to craft a “story of the frontier when pioneer families traveled west to put down roots.” While it’s tough to put together a few of the historical pieces here, the graceful, restrained text chronicles a process most people never see the inside of; the details of revision and collaboration are wisely chosen for effective illumination. Floca’s art has some similarity to that of Robert Andrew Parker, illustrator of Greenberg and Jordan’s Action Jackson (BCCB 11/02), in its slender linework and washes of watercolor hues; however, it’s more trim and diagrammatic, evincing a delicate crispness that’s subtly appropriate to Graham’s vigorous aesthetic. This could make an interesting counterpart to Schubert’s Ballet of the Elephants (BCCB 5/06), or, with additional information, an introduction to Graham and modern American art, especially if paired with Freedman’s Martha Graham (BCCB 6/98) and the few extant film clips of Graham in action and conversation. The book closes with end matter including brief traditional biographies of Graham, Copland, and Noguchi; a bibliography; source notes; and a few black-and-white photographs of the principals. DS - Copyright 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 08/01/2010 Gr 2–6—If Martha Graham's choreography for "Appalachian Spring" was a "valentine" to the world, as critics wrote in 1944, then this book is a love letter in return. Simple, poetic prose tells the story of the creation of one of the world's most-loved ballets and compositions, and Floca's graceful watercolor illustrations take admirers through every part of its development. Written in the present tense, the narrative has a sense of drama that carries readers along as if the events were happening in real time. Fascinating details about the collaboration among Graham, Copland, and Isamu Noguchi (set design) are well documented in the lengthy "curtain call," notes, and resources pages, which read like a fantastic set of liner notes. Floca varies the illustrations from vignettes to bird's-eye views to landscapes and expertly capture the fluid movements of the dancers. The page layouts are well planned to create the most movement and interest. The authors researched extensively but found a way to crystallize all of the information into a gem that is approachable for young readers. More than anything, this work emphasizes the value of collaboration and celebrates the work that Graham, Copland, and Noguchi did to bring together the performing and visual arts. Readers may be inspired to go to Russell Freedman's Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life (Clarion, 1998) and should be encouraged to check out one of Leonard Bernstein's definitive recordings of "Appalachian Spring" and a video of the ballet.—Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI - Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2010 *Starred Review* Dance. Music. Set. All of these elements contribute to the experience of Appalachian Spring, an American classic that continues to thrill audiences. But authors Greenberg and Jordan are less concerned with presenting the ballet (although readers do get a strong sense of it) and more interested in how such an extraordinary collaboration came to be. How does an idea go from a jotted note on choreographer Martha Graham’s pad to a fierce triumph? In crisp yet patient sentences, the authors begin with a vision: a story to be told in movement and music, an American pioneer tale. Composer Aaron Copland takes his cues from his knowledge of Graham’s powerful yet simple dance style. A Shaker hymn leads him to the music, which in turn ignites Graham’s choreography. But one more element is needed. Enter artist Isamu Noguchi, whose set design is as spare and strong as the ballet. The collaboration continues as the dance becomes fully formed, opening triumphantly in 1944. In this book, too, disparate elements come together. Matching the mood of Graham’s moves, the writing is pared down but full of possibilities. Floca’s ink-and-watercolor artwork nimbly shifts from the prosaic (Copland reading Graham’s script) to the visionary (a bride and groom on the open prairie) to the several-spread finale of the ballet itself. 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. - Copyright 2010 Booklist.