Martha Coakley

In the late 1700s, early 1800s, ballet, and classical music were iconic across the world. Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It is a very technical, rigid dance full with grace and intricate footwork. Its vocabulary is based in French and Italian, with a philosophy that is historically recognizable by almost all. Ballet requires years of training, which is often expensive. Most people who…

the look of the dancers. The quality of the movement was light for each piece; it had a lot of flow. There were some sections during the main course where the body language had some abstract elements. This was a modern dance and it reminded me of Martha Graham because she was very expressive in her movement. She really focused on the human mind and spirit. The movement was really expressive and you could tell what they were…

Abigail Adams was born on November 11, 1744 to Reverend William Smith and Elizabeth Quincy, a five-generation American like Martha Washington’s mother. Abigail, due to her father’s career, grew up in a predominantly religious household, leading to religious influences to impact her life. One way was through the meeting of John Adams. The two had met in their youth at church;…

How has Ballet influenced culture? Background information Ballet is an artistic movement that is performed by ballerinas wearing specific costumes. It can be telling a story which express feelings and thoughts. It was originally started in the 15th century, ballet was performed in the Italian Renaissance court. Noblemen and women learnt the steps and movements from the dancing masters, then they participate in the performance with the music in celebration events in the court. A century later, an…

Martha was inspired by St. Denis performance at the Mason Opera House and enrolled in an arts oriented junior college and later at the Denishawn School, which was founded by Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn to teach techniques world dance. She worked a period of time with Ted Shawn and Martha improved her dancing skills. She is recognized for her first role of an attacked Aztec maiden, “Xochital” and a dance made for her by Shawn. By 1923, eight years after entering Denishawn, she found…

Dance, for centuries, has “been used as communication between the body and the soul,” says Ruth St. Denis, Oriental-modern dancer and mentor of Martha Graham. Throughout the widespread genres of dance, there is always a rich background and purpose. Modern dance, one of the most recently recognized genres, can take many forms, while Dance du Ventre, or belly dancing, has a more narrow variety of moves. However, both have a deep rooting in women’s history and represent the value of a woman and…

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,…

human body is very beautiful and eloquent, it is to be treasured, 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…

There are many styles of dance, and they all require different skill sets. The two styles of dance that I am discussing today are both styles that tell a story on stage over multiple hours, introducing many different characters and having a beginning, middle and end. However, going to see, and training to perform in ballet and musical theater are two very different experiences. Ballet is one of the oldest dance styles and, while it tells a story, there is no speaking, singing or any other words…

movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I 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…