Why Is Martha Graham Important To Dance

She has left a huge imprint in the dance world. Despite her parents dismay, she continued to chase her dreams which led her to become one of the most important dancers of the 20th century and the mother of modern dance. Her name, Martha Graham. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania on May 11th 1894, she was the daughter of a psychiatrist, born into a Presbyterian family. Graham had first discovered her interest in dance after her family moved to Santa Barbara, California in 1909. In 1911 Martha Graham watched Ruth St. Denis perform at the Mason Opera House in Los Angeles for the first time. According to the biography titled Martha Graham: Portrait of the Lady as an Artist, the author Leroy Leatherman mentions that earlier in Graham’s career she had the opportunity to study with Mary Wigman in Germany but declined because “she knew she had ‘something’ and that she had to discover it and establish it in America”. Graham joined the Denishawn School of dance in Los Angeles in 1916. Working with Ted Shawn, he created the dance “Xochital” which helped Graham recieve her first acclaim. According to Leatherman, she initially was given minor roles as Graham danced with Ruth St. Denis but soon she received massive attention from the audience gaining
She created a total of 200 dance pieces by the time of her death. In 1986 she was awarded the Local One Centennial award by her colleagues and The Medal of Freedom. Graham was also named by TIME magazine as the “Dancer of the Century”. She also was the first dancer to perform at the White House for Franklin Roosevelt. Martha Graham’s individuality, technique and style still continues to influence dancers as well as designers. Today her legacy continues to live on, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance today is known as the longest operating school of dance in the United Sates and is a charter member for the National Association of Schools