Martha Graham

Martha Graham was a skilled and influential dancer who touched the lives of many. As an influential figure in someone’s life, one would leave a lasting mark on his or her actions, tendencies and personality. Graham left more than a lasting mark on the lives of Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor; she gave them training to become the dancers and choreographers that they were destined to be. Martha started the idea of innovation and modernization in dance; Cunningham and Taylor continued it. Martha Graham had a lasting impact on the lives and work of these two men; although they both went their own ways and created techniques and dance companies of their own, Graham’s influence on both artists is still clear in their work. Martha Graham was born…

Choreographers attempt to “expand breadth and increase the depth of performance,” by expressing an idea through the ever evolving art form, dance. Born in 1894 Allegheny- Pennsylvania, Martha Graham an inspirational choreographer, embellished historical American culture and woman rights. A revolution and adventure in itself. Graham establish new pathways in the field of choreography and performance through family influences plus through different eras. Graham, once described as “indomitable,…

honored, and disciplined”. This is how Martha describes the human body in the video “A Tribute Martha Graham”. Martha Graham is one of the greatest dancers to have graced planet earth. She makes dancing looks easy, delightful, and glamorous; she is such an awesome choreographer to watch on stage. According to Gregory Peck, Martha is absorbed in the magic of movement and her main goal when she dances is proper movement in relationship to the mind, body, and spirit. Graham does not dance like…

Who is Martha Graham and why was she significant to modern dance? Modern dance was developed in the early twentieth century in the state of America. It was established by both Ruth St Denis and Isadora Duncan. In the early 1900 many changes occurred in relation to theoretical dance. Martha Graham was one of the early pioneers who made a significant change to the way people dance by creating a new style/language of dance. Martha graham was born in 1984 on the 11th of May in Pittsburgh. Graham has…

Martha Graham preceded to transform dance with her style, originality and new ideas. Martha was a modern dancer and choreographer. Who way of dance has been influence and compared with Picasso. Martha first started teaching dance in 1926 her first group of people had been sucked into her creative style and technique. After the first lesson she started Martha Graham Studio so that all dancers influenced by her can be under her watchful eye. The National Association of Schools of dance adopted…

Martha Graham was and still is a renowned modern Dance pioneer of her time, a woman who made a remarkable impact on dance. She was a visionary for dance in the 1900’s challenging the world of classical ballet with its gracefully structured moves and its fairy tale performances. To Graham ballet did not represent the world she lived in so she created her own style and technique known as “the Graham technique.” She dedicated her life to this new modern style of dance which she herself performed…

held ballet in such high esteem. I am going to discuss one of, if not the, most important figure in modern dance history, and show how her accomplishments helped to secure the modern dance canon. Martha Graham demanded that her work be accurately reproduced, so she created rules for her movement. Moreover, modern dancers…

wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge” (Martha Graham). Martha Graham is considered the inventor of modern dance, her impact on dance was staggering. Throughout her career, Graham choreographed 181 masterpiece dance compositions and many new age choreographers are challenged to be as great as Martha herself. At the time, her contributions transformed the art form, and still continue to challenge the younger and also middle aged generation of dancers. Graham’s…

Dance has long been a medium that represents American culture that is constantly evolving and Martha Graham and Frank Gatson Jr. are two of many choreographers that helped developing modern dancing in America. After watching a lot of videos on how different type of dances emerged in America, I found Martha Graham’s work appealed to me the most because of her expressiveness and intensity in movements. Brought up by a father who was a psychiatrist, her first lesson of dancing was, “Movement never…

World War II spanned the years of 1939-1945 and made a substantial impact on the dance world. In finding sources to apply towards researching World War II’s influence on Appalachian Spring (1944), I immediately went to YouTube. The iconic film of Appalachian Spring is a great tool to use when looking at the choreography, set, costumes, and musical score. The set, designed by Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) is very simple, but is highlighted by it’s functionality of one side of an exterior wall, a…