Book excerpt: The only time she felt free was when she was dancing. Performing her own creations on her own stage, it would be like dancing forever. Then one day, in the middle of Death Valley, it appeared to her like a dream. A beautiful theatre that no one wanted. To Dance on Sands is the autobiography of Marta Becket, artist, dancer, and performer, and subject of the Academy Award-nominated documentary Amargosa. From her childhood in bohemian New York of the 1920s and 30s to her career as a painter, dancer and chorus performer on Broadway and television, Becket tells, in quirky, honest prose the story of the many ups and downs she faced living a life in the arts. To Dance on Sands is the story of a fiercely independent woman driven by her creative muses to live life on her own terms. From the glitz of New York to performing before a hand painted audience in a remote ghost town, Marta Becket's tale is one that will inspire the dancer and artist in everyone.