This collection of essays, lectures and notes reveals the inspiration behind the choreography of modern dance founder Doris Humphrey. The fundamentals of composition: form, content and execution are expressed in her own spirited words, providing an intimate look at the creative process. Notes made before and during the making of forty-one of her dances show how she put her choreographic principles and world view into dance, including some of her best-known masterpieces: "Water Study", "The Shakers", "Two Ecstatic Themes", "New Dance", "With My Red Fires", "Passacaglia in C minor", "Day on Earth", and "Night Spell".