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Carmen de Lavallade shares why we need the arts

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American actress, dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade speaks on the importance of creativity and of protecting the arts.


[Editor’s Note: The following post is part of American Masters’ #InspiringWomanPBS campaign, which highlights the powerful, creative, and innovative women in our lives. Visit the Inspiring Woman page to join the campaign and submit the story of a woman who inspires you.]

TRANSCRIPT

Please, save the arts.

How would we know our history?

The only way we know our history is those lovely people who put their hand down there and we saw all the - they're throwing their spears, the animals, the wonderful paintings - and they didn't go to university to learn that, either.

They were great artists, and that's how - we are history.

We tell the history of human beings through the so-called 'Arts.'

They're more than arts - it's creativity and it keeps people alive.

When you're at your worst people start singing.

It's very necessary for human existence to have the arts, because without creativity there would be nothing.

There wouldn't be this table, there wouldn't be these lights, there wouldn't be these cameras, there wouldn't be this that I'm wearing.

We've got nothing - nothing.

That creativity has to keep going.

I think it's physically necessary for human beings to have art.

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