<Begin Segment 39>

SY: Just, any artist is often faced with critics. How have you dealt with the criticisms of your work?

MN: Well, I've never had a lot of criticism, negative criticism, and it's just reviews after a program that... and to tell you the truth, I've never had a review that was negative. It always had something positive to say. So I was lucky, I guess.

SY: So this, in some ways, the comments from these people about "Shepherdess" was maybe the first time...?

MN: The first time and it hit me because it was the bigwigs in the dance world that said it. But the people, the faculty that I wanted to see it, they weren't there, which was too bad.

SY: So who was this dancer afterwards who came up to you and said your dance was beautiful?

MN: He was (Lucas Hoving). I don't know whether he has passed away or not. (...) he wasn't too famous then, but (...) he became famous later.

SY: So, what do you think he saw in your work that the others didn't see?

MN: Well, I think he was sensitive and down-to-earth, and could see what the dance was all about.

SY: Oh. This is, in some ways, it's going back to the, your idea that modern dance needs to communicate more than just the moment of being entertained?

MN: Right. Well, that's what I always thought. And this was something personal so it was easy to dance.

<End Segment 39> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.