In this paper I explore the democratic possibilities of the "absent" performer and the "active" spectator. I argue that performance creates an opportunity for an embodied dialogue in which presence and absence, action and non- action interplay into each other. Consequently reduction of action on stage can enhance emotive and embodied reactions thus can lead to an art that can reach and touch more audiences. I focus on the work of Modern dance innovator Martha Graham and her use of movement language to argue that whereas she was perceived to be less politically engaging than many of her contemporaries, she indeed created a unique role for her spectator as a result of a severe, minimal movement language she created on stage. Hence she created a novel way to understand democratic action in dance.
