Maya Deren(1917-1961)

After divorcing Hammid, Deren began making trips to Haiti. She observed and filmed Voudoun rituals and dance. In 1951, she began a relationship with a 15-year-old Japanese musician, Teiji Ito. Deren was 43 and became both mentor and lover to Ito and they lived in New York and traveled to Haiti, filming various Haitian Voudoun rituals over the next few years. She became very involved in the religion of Voudoun, including hosting regular dance rituals in her apartment as well as performing a Voudoun ritual at the marriage of dancer/actor Geoffrey Holder. Her final film, The Very Eye of Night, was completed in 1955 but due to financial problems, it was delayed. Deren allegedly blamed this on her backer, lyricist John La Touche, and it was rumored that she then put a Voudoun curse on him. This speculation came about after LaTouche died within a year from a heart attack at only 38. The premiere did finally occur in 1959 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and the soundtrack was by Teiji Ito.

Art actually is based on the notion that if you would really celebrate an idea or a principle, you must think, you must plan, you must put yourself completely in the state of devotion, and not simply give the first thing that comes to your head.