 May O'Donnell, modern dance pioneer.
Author: Horosko, Marian Published: 2005 May O'Donnell was one of the Martha Graham Contemporary Dance Company's most successful soloists during its pioneer days. Because of her strong presence and equally strong technique, Graham entrusted O'Donnell to create her own roles in such notable Graham works as Appalachian Spring and Hérodiade. As a choreographer, O'Donnell was the first American to create dances of musical abstraction, freeing the modern dancer from themes, storylines, and dramatic passion. She was also a sought after teacher, whose students included Robert Joffrey, Ben Vereen, Gerald Arpino, Dudley Williams, and many others. Based on extensive interviews with O'Donnell herself, Marian Horosko brings the story of this extraordinary yet unheralded sixty-year career to light for the first time. |
