Martha Graham

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the contribution of American dancer, Martha Graham, who pioneered a technique of her own that became part of the contemporary dance milieu. The paper relates the life story of Graham and looks at how she broke with traditions and made a name for herself in the dance world.

Outline:
The Late Blooming of a Dancer
The Martha Graham We Knew
The Evolution of Martha Graham
The Graham Technique and Expressionist Choreography
The Triumph and the Legacy

From the Paper:

"Martha Graham's story as a dancer was unlike others whose lives were rags to riches stories or struggled through harsh economic conditions and braved all to be one of the greats not only in the world of dancing but in the annals of history as well. Graham was born into a wealthy family who traced their lineage back to Miles Standish - a New England hero who were with the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. In 1909 the family relocated to Santa Barbara, California (Gale Cengage Learning, 2007). "Her father, a doctor specializing in nervous disorders, was very interested in diagnosis through attention to physical movement. This belief in the body's ability to express its inner senses was pivotal in Graham's desire to dance. Athletic as a young girl, Graham did not find her calling until she was in her teens. (Public Broadcasting Service, 2007)" Graham's formal training in dance began at the University of Cumnoch where she studied theater and dance from 1913 to 1916. Thereafter, she joined the Denishawn School managed by the husband and wife tandem, Ruth St.-Denis and Ted Shawn. Denishawn became Graham's second home where she learned classical and modern dance. Denishawn also specialized in that which was novel and exotic to American sensibilities: Greek pageants, Japanese sword dances, sexy Spanish flamencos (Gale Cengage Learning, 2007). During her eight years at Denishawn, Graham was not only a student but she did some instructing on her own when she got better with her craft. It is at Denishawn also that Graham met the composer Louis Horst."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bennett, Louise (2006) Dance styles: Contemporary dance [Internet]. Dancing Times, September 2006. Available from: <http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/DT200609/dancingtimes200609-3.html> [Accessed 1 November 2007].
• Conner, Lynner & Gillis-Kruman, Susan (1996) Chapter 3: The modern dancers - Martha Graham (1894-1991) [Internet]. University of Pittsburgh. Available from: <http://www.pitt.edu/~gillis/dance/martha.html> [Accessed 1 November 2007].
• Dance and Movement Therapy (2007) A brief history of modern dance [Internet]. Dance to Health. Available from: <http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com/modern-dance.html> [Accessed 1 November 2007].
• Gale Cengage Learning (2007) Martha Graham [Internet]. Gale Schools. Available from: <http://www.galeschools.com/womens_history/bio/graham_m.htm#> [Accessed 1 November 2007].
• Graham, Martha (1953) An athlete of God [Internet]. National Public Radio. Available from: <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5065006> [Accessed 1 November 2007].

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