In May 2017, Garage published the first book in the GARAGE DANCE series—Martha Graham’s autobiography, Blood Memory.
Martha Graham (1894–1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Blood Memory, which was written during the last year of her life, features many fascinating details of her phenomenal career in dance and her reminiscences about leading dancers, artists, and musicians she collaborated with, such as Maya Plisetskaya, Rudolf Nureyev, Liza Minelli, Madonna, Aaron Copland, and Alexander Calder.
For Graham, “blood memory” is the innate knowledge we have of the physical experiences lived by our ancestors. She liked to speak of the calling of destiny and believed she knew what her destiny was. Blood Memory offers insight into Graham’s ideas and the history of her spiritual search.
GARAGE DANCE series is edited by international contemporary dance theorist and teacher, former professional dancer Vita Khlopova. After graduating in Theater Studies from the Russian Academy of Theater Arts (GITIS) and completing two Master’s programs at the Sorbonne, she now continues her postgraduate studies at the Research Institute of Art Studies in Russia and at Paul Verlaine University in France.
The series brings to the Russian-speaking audience translations of seminal books on the history and theory of contemporary dance currently scarce in the Russian market.
Upcoming publications in GARAGE DANCE include a translation of Terpsichore in Sneakers: Postmodern Dance by Sally Banes, which tells the stories of several important contemporary (or postmodern) dance choreographers, such as Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown and Steve Paxton—and Anna Gordeeva’s study on the history of contemporary dance in Russia Three Steps in Delirium.
Other planned publications include books on Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, and other influential figures in contemporary dance.
