Biography of Martha Graham

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Undoubtedly one of the unique dancers and choreographers in the 20th century was Martha Graham. He was born in the suburb of Allegheny (now Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1894 ("Martha Graham Biography."). Martha mentioned that her first dance lesson was when her father told her always remembers that movement never lies (Aoki et al). Martha Graham trained and inspired a generation of performers and choreographers, including diverse artists as Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, and Merce Cunningham (Tenaglia). She had an idea that movement should be "fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge." Thus in 1926, as an entrepreneur she established her own dance company in New York City. At the same time, she had developed her own unique, highly innovative style that reflected other influences and a unique dance vocabulary that we can define any movement in modern dance (Tenaglia). In fact, Martha Graham revolutionized modern dance.
She had worked with Ted Shawn when she was young for several years; Graham improved her technique and began dancing professionally as a solo talented dancer. Then she took a position at the Eastman School of Music, in which she could work independently and later invented her own dancing technique and attitude that contributed to the establishment of her company in 1926. One of her most significant influence towards modern dance was when Graham performed a vocabulary of movement that showcased all aspects of human experience being expressed theoretically through the body (Ellen). She had an ability to show her emotional and spiritual themes in her dance that no other dancer had showed, by using spastic movements, trembling, and falls. For instance, one of the early pieces of the compa...

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... et al. "Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life." Language Arts 77.5 (2000): 446.
ProQuest. Web. Accessed January 19, 2014.
Ellen G. Landau. "Graham, Martha." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University
Press, accessed January 19, 2014.
KISSELGOFF, ANNA. "DANCE VIEW; Reflections on Martha Graham's Revolution." New
York Times, May 29, 1988. http://search.proquest.com/docview/426826649?accountid=27372. "Martha Graham Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. accessed January
15, 2014. http://www.biography.com/people/martha-graham-9317723
Taylor, Clarke. "MARTHA GRAHAM STILL LOOKING TO THE FUTURE." Los
Angeles Times (1923-Current File), Apr 21, 1986. thttp://search.proquest.com/docview/154721641?accountid=27372.
Tenaglia, Susan. "Building on the Graham Tradition." The World & I 18.11 (2003): 76-81.
ProQuest. Web. Accessed January 14. 2014.

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