Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter

I bought this DVD because the New York Times published a glowing review of the movie some time ago. This may not be the best reason to buy DVDs, but in this case it paid off. The DVD was put on sale months after the movie release so by the time it came out, I didn't quite remember why I had wanted to buy it, except that I had on my to-do list that I really must do so, and the beginning of the movie - very kaleidoscopic with short segments showing various people saying Martha Hill revolutionized dance or things of that order - didn't help making me remember why I had wanted to buy it. And then it all came back: Bennington, Juilliard, all that. Oh yeah. The woman was the first Director of Dance at Juilliard. The anecdote of how she managed to get herself an office in the new Lincoln Center in spite of Lincoln Kirstein and NYCB's taking over the building is worth the price of the DVD alone. (It is told by someone who helped her get the office. Priceless.) Dance in America is lucky to have had Martha Hill as a champion. The movie has a great balance between interviews of still-alive protagonists and photographs of the period. My only complaint is that I wish it'd been longer.

I was interviewed and appeared in the documentary. Of course, I was thrilled for the opportunity.

purchase was fine.

Hugely interesting film showing the real beginnings of Modern Dance and how Martha Hill created the Juilliard Modern Dance Department. A must for students of modern dance.

I am a dance graduate and this dvd taught me things that i did not know. Wonderful archival footage. Miss Hill was a champion for dance education.

Well documented film full of interesting information about Ms. Hill and her visionary impact on dance in academia.

Very interesting if you love dance.

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