Mother of Modern Dance

Martha Graham was an innovative choreographer that crossed boundaries in the genre of modern dance. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, but later her family moved west to the state of California. She grew interest in dance when her father brought her to a performance that featured Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. She enrolled in Cumnock School, an art-oriented junior college after being inspired by the performance. While attending Cumnock Graham never actually stepped foot in a dance class until after she graduated. She started training in her early twenties at Denishawn School. The shy Graham spent eight years training to improve her technique and performance skills.

While primarily working with Ted Shawn, he was impressed by her effort and dedication to the art. She made her debut in the production of Xochitl, a ballet based on an Indian legend. After, she was able to tour with Denishawn’s This was the start of Martha Graham’s career in the field of dance.

After eight year years of training at Denishawn, Graham decided she wanted to become a instructor and choreographer. Graham moved to New York City to pursue her career. She was able to choreograph her own dances while working at Greenwich, but she desired more independence and opportunity to experiment. She took a position at Eastman School of Music and Theatre where she was given free reign in her classes. She started exploring modern dance rebelling against classical ballet. Martha Graham stated “I wanted significant movements. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge.” Her signature movement of the “contraction and release” symbolized just that. This could potentially begin a sequence of impulses which flowed from the center of the body outwards. These undulations of the body had sexual undertones to them because they were so natural and primal. Early critics described her work as “ugly,” but was unaware that her technique would be taught internationally later on.

Graham's first dances were performed on a bare stage with only costumes and lights. Graham decided to be different from the average ballet costuming style. She replaced the traditional ballet folk dress with either a straight, dark, long shirt or the common leotard (a tight, one-piece garment worn by dancers). As she progressed in her career, she added different costumes and scenery for effect. Instead of her normal costuming, she started using long skirts that complimented the dancer’s movement. Graham referred to this decade as “my period of long woolens.” She introduced scenery and props to the genre of modern dance. Graham experimentation of using the stage, the floor, and the props as part of the dance produced a whole new language of dance in itself. Graham used props as symbols, costuming, and lighting to give the audience an idea of the setting.

Martha Graham merged her choreography with political, social, psychological, and historical events to create stirring themes. Some of Graham’s notable pieces of work included “Lamentations,” “Chronicle,” “Appalachian Spring,” and “American Document.” Each of different, but through the imagery and connection between the dancers, she captured the soul of the American people. The audience’s grew accustomed to Graham’s work and started to respect her chorographic work.

The famous Martha Graham was a great influence as she pioneered modern dance. She was recognized greatly and received multiple awards. During Martha Graham’s seventy years of choreographing, she created approximately two hundred pieces of work ranging from three minute solos to full length shows. She left an imprint in everyone who knew her especially her students and members of the dance company. After Graham’s death, her work and technique were preserved by dancers as they continued in perfecting Graham’s technique. The Graham technique is currently taught at the Martha Graham School in New York by some of her students. It is also studied at universities across the country in and at the average dance studio. Her work was truly remarkable and unforgettable. Martha Graham’s passion and innovative style left a mark on America and she will forever be known as the “Mother of Modern Dance.”

Citation

DeMille, Agnes. Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham. New York: Random House, 1991. Regan, Gay.

"The Breakaway Years at Bennington College: A Story of My Mother and Modern Dance." Flynn Center Blog. 2 Feb. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

"Martha Graham: Revolt and Passion." PBS. PBS, 16 Sept. 2005. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.