the one who speaks

The One Who Speaks is one of the main characters in Martha Graham's Letter to the World (1940), a work inspired by Emily Dickinson's poetry and figure. She speaks lines from Dickinson's poems while the other dancers perform. Is she giving voice to the dance? Does dance need a voice? It is not a question of what dance does or does not need. It is an imaginary dialogue between Graham's dance language and Dickinson's poetic language. The One Who Speaks gives sound to the movement and she interacts with it in a beautiful way. Originally the One Who Speaks was interpreted by Jane Erdman, then other dancers took her role, like Pearl Lang and Christine Dakin.