Martha Graham Biography

Art can be expressed in many ways. Some people express it with the stroke of a brush or note of a song. Martha Graham, however, was one of those people who expressed art through dance. Martha was born on May 11, 1894. She was born into a wealthy family in Pittsburgh, or at the time, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Her father’s name was George Graham and her mother’s name was Jane Beers Graham. Her father specialized with nervous disorders, which always made her curious on how the human body moves and how to express it. Growing up, her family was a part of the Presbyterian faith, which is a sort of Christianity. This faith made Martha’s parents give great expectations. She was one of their three daughters. In fact, at the age of ten, one of her sisters
Her first real performance was actually with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. “Working primarily with Shawn, Graham improved her technique and began dancing professionally. Shawn choreographed the dance production "Xochitl" specifically for Graham, who performed the role of an attacked Aztec maiden. The wildly emotional performance garnered her critical acclaim” (Martha Graham Biography). Her career was long and full of wonder, she performed and choreographed so many pieces of art. “After Graham's performance as the lead role in composer Igor Stravinsky's (1882–1971) American premiere of Rite of Spring (1930), Graham toured the United States for four years (1931–35) in the production Electra” (Encyclopedia of World Biography). As she continued dancing, she began an interest in American Indians. “Her increasing interest in the American past was seen in her dance based on the lives of American pioneer women, Frontier (1935), and in her famous Appalachian Spring (1944). In 1932 she became the first dancer to receive a Guggenheim fellowship (an award to promote artistic research and creation), and she danced for President Franklin Roosevelt (1882–1945) at the White House in 1937” (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Despite having some of her pieces called “ugly”, Graham pushed through her critics, which landed her in some of the most amazing and honorable places in the world. “Graham’s genius caught on and became increasingly respected over time, and her advances in dance are considered by many to be an important achievement in America’s cultural history. The Graham technique is a highly regarded form of movement taught by dance institutions across the globe” (Martha Graham