Famous quotes by Dancers

Dancers speak a language of rhythm, rigor, and risk, and their words reflect the same clarity and grace found in their movement. These quotes gather perspectives from ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and beyond, revealing dedication, vulnerability, and joy shaped by rehearsal rooms and stages worldwide. Whether you seek motivation, artistic insight, or a glimpse into the craft's discipline, the voices assembled offer honesty about creativity, community, and the body's wisdom. Let their reflections inspire curiosity, resilience, and a deeper appreciation for the artistry of motion.

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

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

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

Martha Graham, Dancer

Martha Graham

"It is extremely arrogant and very foolish to think that you can ever outwit your audience"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I think people want very much to simplify their lives enough so that they can control the things that make it possible to sleep at night"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I learned very early that an audience would relax and look at things differently if they felt they could laugh with you from time to time. There's an energy that comes through the release of tension that is laughter"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"My motto - sans limites"

Isadora Duncan, Dancer

"My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"The only sin is mediocrity"

Martha Graham, Dancer

Martha Graham

"I don't start a piece knowing exactly what effect it's going to have. There is a seed of an idea that I could never articulate, right at the beginning of the piece, literally like one cell"

Siobhan Davies, Dancer

"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, Dancer

"The formal education that I received made little sense to me"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I was privileged to be able to study a year with Martha Graham, the last year she was teaching"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I'm not one who divides music, dance or art into various categories. Either something works, or it doesn't"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I have the wherewithal to challenge myself for my entire life. That's a great gift"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I have not wanted to intimidate audiences. I have not wanted my dancing to be an elitist form. That doesn't mean I haven't wanted it to be excellent"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"In terms of individuals who actually inspired me, very few of the academic people that I had access to had that power over me. Maybe it's simply because I wasn't that committed to geometry"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"In those days, male dancers were a rarer breed than women. As they are still today, A good male dancer, one as strong as we were, was very difficult to come by if you couldn't afford to pay them"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I thought I had to make an impact on history. I had to become the greatest choreographer of my time. That was my mission. Posterity deals with us however it sees fit. But I gave it 20 years of my best shot"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"Learn by practice"

Martha Graham, Dancer

Martha Graham

"There's this expression called postmodernism, which is kind of silly, and destroys a perfectly good word called modern, which now no longer means anything"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

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

Katherine Dunham, Dancer

Katherine Dunham

"No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business"

Mikhail Baryshnikov, Dancer

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

Suzanne Farrell, Dancer

"Strong and convincing art has never arisen from theories"

Mary Wigman, Dancer

"It was not until I had graduated from college that I made a professional commitment to it. Frankly, I didn't think it wise. I was my own interior parental force, and it's very difficult to justify a profession as a dancer"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I started formal piano training when I was 4. From there I had little violas, and I had dancing lessons of every sort and description, and painting lessons. I had German. And shorthand"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"I often say that in making dances I can make a world where I think things are done morally, done democratically, done honestly"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

"With each piece I've completed, I have worked to make it intact, and each of them has been an equal high. It's like children. A mother refuses to pick out one as a favorite, and I can't do any better with the dances"

Twyla Tharp, Dancer

Twyla Tharp

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