Martha Graham and Modern Dance

Tossing her toe shoes aside, Martha Graham rebelled against the restriction of traditional ballet, and found a freedom of dance expression that was viewed with shock and awe. Jerky, angular movements, combined with tension and relaxation of muscle groups (including pelvic contractions) and frenetic floor work, was definitely "cutting edge" in the 1920s through the 1950s. Pairing evocative body movements with passionate emotions, Martha's dancing was both spiritual, athletic, and sensual. She did not desire to portray grace and flow, but rather to evoke raw feeling, accompanied by meaningful movement. Her choreography became a language of its own. Some critics even accused her of "making dance ugly", but it was her desire to portray life in all its intensity and vibrancy. She was described as "electrifying."

Modern dance was a revolt of sorts against ballet, and women like the famous Isadora Duncan and Ruth Saint Denis wanted to create a new form of dance, that allowed freedom of movement and facial expression. When Martha was 16, she saw a freestyle dance performance by Saint Denis, and felt that she had found her destiny. Though her parents, who were upper class, did not approve of her desire to dance, she followed her dreams, and started studying dance seriously in her early twenties. (This was considered to be quite a late start for a dancer.) She attended the Denishawn Dance School (owned by Ruth Saint Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn.) She trained diligently and performed for several years with the Denishawn Dance Company, before moving to New York. She performed in shows there, but wanted to choreograph more creative and modern dances.

She taught at the Eastman School of Music, and later at Carnegie Hall. Desiring more freedom of expression, and breaking free from the traditional lyrical movement of modern dance, she formed her own dance company, the Martha Graham Center Of Contemporary Dance, and founded the Martha Graham Company of dancers.

Described as a "revolutionary artist of modern dance" in the early 20th century, she choreographed poems, paintings, historical figures and events, the writings of psychoanalysts Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, the poetry of Emily Dickinson, spiritual themes, mythology, Greek tragedies, and ancient rituals. She had an interest in Native American themes as well. The movements that she created are still used in modern dance today. In fact, she came to be known as, "The Mother Of Modern Dance." Martha Graham choreographed more than 180 works, and created some of modern dance's greatest masterpieces.

She was one of the founders of the New York City Julliard School, still recognized as one of the country's best art schools. Martha Graham continued to dance well into her seventies, and taught and choreographed dances until her death, in 1991, at the age of 96. Time Magazine called her the "Dancer Of The Century." The Martha Graham Dance Company still showcases her work around the world.

(There are videos available on YouTube of Martha Graham, and her dance company.)

Sources: http://great-teachers.suite101.com/article.cfm/martha_graham_life_and_art
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2008-08-02-voa2.cfm
http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/graham.html
http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3735&source_type=A
http://www.noguchi.org/graham.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0334208/bio
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0334208/bio