--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great dancers are not great because of…" description: "\"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.\" — Martha Graham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png" --- # Great dancers are not great because of their technique… ![“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” quote by Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png) > “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness in dance stems more from deep passion than technical skill, highlighting emotional expression over flawless form. **In simple terms:** Passion trumps technique in dance greatness. Key Takeaway Cultivate passion to excel. Themes art performance emotion technique passion Mood inspirational reflective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - dance training - performance coaching - creative workshops Key Concepts expressive movement creative inspiration artist mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can passion and technique be balanced? - What role does emotion play in artistic mastery? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on passion may neglect necessary technical foundation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancers/) [Dancers Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancers-great-3692995/) [Great Dancers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-dancers-683280/) [Great passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-passion/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) ## Related quotes > [The Great dancers are not great because of their technique , they are great because of their passion ¬ ª](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabil/the-great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-their-technique-they-are/) [Nabil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabil/) > [Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/nobody-cares-if-you-can-t-dance-well-just-get-up-and-dance-great/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancers are a great breed of people. And they really want to dance so you don't have to beg them to work. However, dancers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/dancers-are-a-great-breed-of-people-and-they-really-want-to-dance-so/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [At the ballet classes I took when I first came to New York, I would see great dancers like Cynthia Gregory and Lupe Serrano.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/at-the-ballet-classes-i-took-when-i-first-came-to-new-york-i-would/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [To me, this acquirement of nervous, physical, and emotional concentration is the one element possessed to the highest degree by the truly great dancers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/to-me-this-acquirement-of-nervous-physical-and-emotional/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“A dancer isn't great because of their technique...they're great because of their passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/a-dancer-isn-t-great-because-of-their-technique-they-re-great-because/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred; culture has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-looks-beyond-machinery-culture-hates-hatred-culture-has-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Dancers today can do anything; the technique is phenomenal. The passion and the meaning to their movement can be another thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancers-today-can-do-anything-the-technique-is-phenomenal-the-passion/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancers are the messengers of the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancers-are-the-messengers-of-the-gods/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [I don't try to tell the dancers exactly what a dance means before they do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-don-t-try-to-tell-the-dancers-exactly-what-a-dance-means-before/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancers have more bones than most people and on the days when you work hard you are sure that you have somehow accumulated more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancers-have-more-bones-than-most-people-and-on-the-days-when-you/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [I'm very smart when it comes to choosing dancers and trying to show the world that there's a whole lot of dancing going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/i-m-very-smart-when-it-comes-to-choosing-dancers-and-trying-to-show/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [For 20 years, I've been running an institute in Chennai where serious dancers from Kerala come with aspirations of becoming professional dancers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shobana/for-20-years-i-ve-been-running-an-institute-in-chennai-where-serious/) [Shobana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shobana/) > [Whenever there's a speciality dance, such as the Charleston or the Argentine Tango, 'Strictly' enlists expert choreographers to work with the professional dancers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/whenever-there-s-a-speciality-dance-such-as-the-charleston-or-the/) [Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/) ## More by Martha Graham > [The body never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-never-lies/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You have no right to go before a public without an adequate technique, just because you feel. Anything feels - a leaf feels, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-have-no-right-to-go-before-a-public-without-an-adequate-technique/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-vitality-a-life-force-an-energy-a-quickening-that-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Misery is a communicable disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/misery-is-a-communicable-disease/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/people-have-asked-me-why-i-chose-to-be-a-dancer-i-did-not-choose-i/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/all-things-i-do-are-in-every-woman-every-woman-is-medea-every-woman/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-shaped-disciplined-honored-and-in-time-trusted/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The secret to dancing is that it is about everything except dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-secret-to-dancing-is-that-it-is-about-everything-except-dancing/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [What makes a great dancer is not technique. What makes a great dancer is passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/what-makes-a-great-dancer-is-not-technique-what-makes-a-great-dancer/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is a sacred garment. It's your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-a-sacred-garment-it-s-your-first-and-last-garment-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-are-unique-and-if-that-is-not-fulfilled-then-something-has-been/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-see-when-weaving-a-blanket-an-indian-woman-leaves-a-flaw-in-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery - what it all means, the way the little bone near the ankle relates itself to the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancing-is-just-discovery-discovery-discovery-what-it-all-means-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. It is a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/theater-used-to-be-a-verb-it-used-to-be-an-act-but-nowadays-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [There is a force, a quickness that is translated through you into action. If you block it, the world will not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-force-a-quickness-that-is-translated-through-you-into/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) [Explore all 148 Martha Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## More Dance quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [I like Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. I love pop music, but I also like Sam Smith's slow songs. That would be more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddie-ziegler/i-like-sam-smith-and-taylor-swift-i-love-pop-music-but-i-also-like/) [Maddie Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddie-ziegler/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [My body was so instrumental to how I took pictures: it was practically a dance. I used to use my legs a lot; now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/my-body-was-so-instrumental-to-how-i-took-pictures-it-was-practically/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/if-you-dance-you-dance-because-you-have-to-every-dancer-hurts-you-know/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-du-beke/being-fit-is-the-easiest-part-of-being-a-dance-professional-i-used-to/) [Anton du Beke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-du-beke/) > [I'm a horrible dancer, but I wanted to record songs that made me want to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lane/i-m-a-horrible-dancer-but-i-wanted-to-record-songs-that-made-me-want/) [Chris Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lane/) [Browse all 9,682 Dance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martha Graham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-their-technique-they-are-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-their-technique-they-are-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/martha-graham-2832_dance_great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-t_2025653.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” — Martha Graham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Martha Graham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great dancers are not great because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-their-technique-they-are-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/great-dancers-are-not-great-because-of-their-technique-they-are-great/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```