Reading in Depth
Read the following quotes about what dance can do.Choose one that you like most and then explain it.
A dignified and formal dance is a delicately planned geometry.
—Ruth Katz
The dance is the mother of all languages.
—R.G.Collingwood
Dancers are instruments,like a piano the choreographer plays.
—George Balanchinc
If the dance is right,there shouldn’t be a single superfluous movement.
—Fred Astaire
Dancing allows me to explore myself in so many ways,to learn about my limitations and strengths,my ability to cope with adversity and to go farther than I thought I could.You find out what you’re made of.
—A.Asnce
Dance is your pulse,your heartbeat,your breathing.It’s the rhythm of your life.It’s the expression in time and movement,in happiness,joy,sadness and envy.
—Jaques D’ambroise
Dance Sport—I think it’s rejoicing in the union of rhythm.A human testifying to the celebration of hope,faith,determination,will,strength,passion and light in the soul.It transforms the spirit.
—Andre Leon Talley
Write one or two statements on the lines below about what you think dance can do for you.
TEXT
Bertram Ross
Pre-reading
Answer the following questions about Bertram Ross and his life.
1.What do you know about Bertram Ross?
2.What was Bertram Ross initially interested in?
3.What is the relationship between Bertram Ross and Martha Graham?
4.Have you ever seen the film documentary Wallowitch and Ross:This Moment?
Initial Reading
Read the following text as quickly as you can,and write a topic sentence for each paragraph to help understand the main idea of the text.Then complete the exercises that follow.
[1]Bertram Ross,who has died at the age of 82,was one of America’s finest contemporary dancers and for over 20 years Martha Graham’s principal male dancer,partner and loyal custodian both of her work and of her person.
[2]Born in Brooklyn,he was introduced to the theatre arts from an early age by his mother,but was initially more interested in painting than performing.Returning to New York after military service in the Second World War,he first resumed his painting but then found his way to the Graham School,where he studied under the GI Bill of Rights.From there he made his way to sought-after Connecticut College,where the faculty gave him a scholarship,their first male student.He joined the Dudley-Maslow-Bales Dance Trio for a short tour and was then invited by Graham to join her company.
[3]He was the original Adam figure in Embattled Garden,a study of Lilith,Adam,Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden,and in the epic Clytemnestra he was both Agamemnon and Orestes.He danced,memorably,in the first performances of Acrobats of God and Canticle for Innocent Comedians,as well as many other roles.
[4]As Graham’s partner,he had frequently to endure the torments she visited upon her characters—“she beheaded him,stabbed him,poisoned him,castrated him”—but had also the responsibility of sustaining her unsteady person on stage when she was on the point of collapse,sometimes actual collapse,during the time of her serious inebriation.
[5]He taught for her,conducted rehearsals,and in 1966 assumed codirectorship of the company,first with Cohan,then with another celebrated Graham dancer,Mary Hinkson,at the time when Graham’s health was causing concern.They undoubtedly secured the company’s survival.Ross served until 1973,and proudly claimed never to have missed a performance.He left when a new director,Ron Protas,a non-dancer,assumed control over Martha and he felt he could do nothing more for the company.
[6]After his departure,Ross choreographed and taught and later reconstructed several Graham dances for the company after her death.He worked on Broadway and for films.He and his partner of 36 years,John Wallowitch,who was a song writer and performer,and with whom Ross shared a devastating sense of humour,devised a Cabaret duo act.This began life at the Ballroom in New York and later came briefly to London,to Pizza on the Park.It became the subject of Richard Morris’s 1999 film documentary,Wallowitch and Ross:This Moment.
New Words
contemporary /kənˈtemp（ə）r（ə）ri/ adj.当代的；同时代的
custodian /kʌˈstəʊdiən/ n.管理人；监护人
resume /rɪˈzjuːm/ v.重新开始；继续
sought-after /ˈsɔːt ˌɑːftə（r）/ adj.受欢迎的；很吃香的
faculty /ˈfæk（ə）lti/ n.科；系；全体教员
serpent /ˈsɜː（r）pənt/ n.蛇（尤指大蛇或毒蛇）
epic /ˈepɪk/ adj.史诗的；叙事诗的
memorably /ˈmem（ə）rəb（ə）li/ adv.难忘地；显著地
torment /ˈtɔː（r）ment/ n.痛苦；苦恼；折磨
behead /bɪˈhed/ vt.砍头；斩首
stab /stæb/ vt.刺；刺伤
castrate /kæˈstreɪt/ vt.阉割；删除
unsteady /ʌn'stedɪ/ adj.不稳定的
collapse /kəˈlæps/ n.崩溃；倒塌
inebriation /ɪˈniːbrieɪʃ（ə）n/ n.酒醉；陶醉
rehearsal /rɪˈhɜː（r）s（ə）l/ n.排演，预演；练习
secure /sɪˈkjʊə（r）/ vt.保护；确保
survival /sə'vaɪv（ə）l/ n.生存；存活
choreograph /ˈkɒriəˌɡrɑːf/ vt.设计舞蹈动作；为……编舞
reconstruct /ˌriːkənˈstrʌkt/ vt.重建；改造
devastating /ˈdevəˌsteɪtɪŋ/ adj.极好的；有力度的
duo /ˈdjuːəʊ/ n.二重奏；二重唱
documentary /ˌdɒkjʊˈment（ə）ri/ n.纪录片
Phrases and Expressions
military service 兵役；军役
make one’s way to 转向；想方设法进入
a study of 研究
have the responsibility of 有……责任
on the point of 正要……的时候，在……之际
sense of humour 幽默感
Related Information
1.Martha Graham：玛莎·葛兰姆，又译马莎·格雷厄姆，美国舞蹈家和编舞家，也是现代舞蹈最早的创始人之一。玛莎·葛兰姆的作品多以美国人文或是希腊古典神话为主题，代表作品有《原始的神秘》《给世界的信》《阿帕拉契山脉之春》《夜旅》等。
2.Brooklyn：布鲁克林区，位于纽约曼哈顿岛的东南边，是美国纽约州纽约市五大区中人口最多的一区，也是纽约州人口最多的区。布鲁克林区一开始只有6 个荷兰移民小村庄建在东河边，并有小荷兰的称呼。在1664年成为纽约属地的一部分。1898年正式划入纽约市，成为五大区之一。
3.GI Bill of Rights：退伍军人权利法案，由美国国会于1944年颁布，旨在帮助退伍军人在第二次世界大战后更好地适应平民生活。该法案的颁布实施，使数百万美国退伍军人受惠，对美国迅速从战时经济向民用经济转变提供了智力支持和人才保证。
4.Connecticut College：康涅狄格学院，位于新英格兰南部海滨，是一所私立的男女同校的文理学院，建立于1911年。
5.Garden of Eden：伊甸园，根据《旧约·创世纪》记载，上帝耶和华照自己的形象造了人类的祖先男人亚当，再用亚当的一根肋骨创造了女人夏娃，并安置第一对男女住在伊甸园中。伊甸园在圣经的原文中含有乐园的意思。
6.Clytemnestra：（希腊神话）克吕泰涅斯特拉，迈锡尼王阿伽门农之妻。
7.Agamemnon：阿伽门农，希腊迈锡尼国王，希腊诸王之王。特洛伊战争中统帅希腊联合远征军。
8.Orestes：俄瑞斯忒斯，阿伽门农之子。
9.Broadway：现多译为“百老汇”，原意为“宽阔的街”，指纽约市中以巴特里公园为起点，由南向北纵贯曼哈顿岛，全长25 公里的一条长街。
10.Cabaret：卡巴莱歌舞表演，是一种歌厅式音乐剧，通过歌曲与观众分享故事或感受，演绎方式简单直接，不需要精心制作的布景、服装或特技效果，纯粹以歌曲最纯净的一面与观众交流，可以说是一种音乐上的情感交谈和亲切感觉的接触。这种音乐表演方式在欧洲十分盛行，兴起于19世纪末的法国，后传入德国和欧洲其他国度。
Exercise 1
The passage can be divided into 3 parts.The main idea of each part is given below in disorder.Complete the following table according to your understanding of the text.
Main ideas:
a.How Bertram Ross joined Graham’s company and his contribution to it.
b.A general introduction to Bertram Ross.
c.Bertram Ross’s life after he left Graham’s company.
Exercise 2
Match the paragraphs on the left column with the information on the right.
1—______;2—______;3—______;4—______;5—______;6—______.
Re-reading
Read in more detail and complete the following exercises according to the text.
Exercise 1
Decide whether the following statements are True(T)or False(F).
( )1.Bertram Ross was initially more interested in painting than performing.
( )2.Bertram Ross was the original Adam figure in Embattled Garden in the Acrobats of God.
( )3.Bertram Ross had the responsibility of sustaining Graham’s unsteady person on stage when she was on the point of collapse.
( )4.Bertram Ross left Graham’s company because he had intense contradiction with Ron Protas.
( )5.Ross shared a devastating sense of humour with his partner of 36 years,John Wallowitch,who was a poet and performer.
Exercise 2
Choose the best answer to each question according to the text.
1.What distinction did Bertram Ross hold at Connecticut College?
A.He was the first male student.
B.He was the only student to graduate within 3 years.
C.He was the only student who married to an instructor.
D.He was the first student to be tutored under Martha Graham.
2.What did Bertram Ross have to endure at the hands of partner Martha Graham?
A.Physical and mental abuse.B.No monetary benefits for 8 years.
C.No recognition from the public for 8 years.D.Beheading,stabbing,poisoning,castration.
3.What was Martha Graham’s weakness?
A.Infidelity.B.Vanity.
C.Alcoholism.D.Intolerance of coloured people.
4.Which of the following is Ross’s achievement?
A.Never missed a performance.B.Never missed a social invitation.
C.The most performances in a lifetime.D.The most dance partners in a lifetime.
5.How long were Ross and his partner John Wallowitch together?
A.10 years.B.36 years.
C.32 years.D.22 years.