- Name: Martha Graham
- Date of Birth: May 11, 1894
- Place of Birth: Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA
Mini-bio:
American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham was a revolutionary artist
of modern dance in the early 20th century. Born in Allegheny, a suburb of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 1894, her family...( read more)
of modern dance in the early 20th century. Born in Allegheny, a suburb of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 1894, her family...( read more)
Martha Graham Wiki Profile
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Martha Graham mini-bio: American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham was a revolutionary artist
of modern dance in the early 20th century. Born in Allegheny, a suburb of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 1894, her family moved to California when
she was 10. She was inspired at that early age to become a dancer when she
saw Ruth St. Denis perform her exotic "Epytia" modern dance in 1914. After
much study, Graham brought a different dynamics and interpretation to modern
dance, one of sharp angles and natural motion. Graham's father was an
"alienist," a term used at the turn of the century describe a physician who
specialized in human psychology. Dr. Graham was interested in the way people
used their bodies, and that interest was passed on to his eldest daughter.
Martha frequently repeated her father's maxim of "Movement never lies." Her
abstract approach to dance and her minimal use of costumes and set
decorations was disconcerting to audiences accustomed to the lovely fluid
movements of modern dance introduced earlier by the likes of Isadora Duncan
(many critics accused Graham of making dance "ugly"). What Graham wanted to
evoke with her style of dance was a heightened awareness of life. She
eventually developed a strong following and won over the critics. Her dance
themes were inspired by America's past, biblical stories, historical
figures, classical mythology, primitive rituals, and surprisingly,
psychoanalyst Carl Jung's writings, Emily Dickinson's poems, Georgia
O'Keeffe's paintings, and Zen Buddhism. She danced with such a passion that
her presence on stage was electrifying. Graham founded the Dance Repertory
Theater in New York in 1930. She was the first dancer to receive a
Guggenheim fellowship in 1932. From 1931 to 1935, Graham toured the United
States in the production "Electra." She was fascinated by different
cultures, and her interest in Native Americans of the southwest United
States was first embodied in the production "Primitive Mysteries." In 1937,
she danced for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House. Her
most famous dance, "Appalachian Spring," was first performed in 1944. Graham
gave her last stage performance in 1968, at age 74. In all, she produced 181
original ballets. A year before her death in 1990, she choreographed, at age
95, Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag"; the show featured costumes by Calvin
Klein.
Date of Death:
1 April 1991, New York, New York, USA.
