MARTHA GRAHAM

Legendary Dancer, Choreographer

Martha Graham changed modern dance. She did not invent it, but she did refine it and define it. Her style was that of abrupt, harsh movements, and complex floor work that others neglected. It was a stark style, but one that today serves as the basis for teaching modern dance, and made her the "Mother of American dance."

Graham was born May 11, 1894 in Pittsburgh. Her father was a doctor in that city. Her family moved to Santa Barbara, CA, in 1908, and in 1911 she saw a performance of Ruth Saint-Denis that inspired her so much she decided to become a dancer. She later would study at Saint-Denis' dance school, Denishawn, which she ran with her husband, Ted Shawn. In 1926, she took a teaching job at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and gave her first recital at the 48th Street Theatre in New York City. In 1927, she opened her own school, the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.

Her fame and reputation grew. In 1936, Graham established the school of modern dance at Bennington College. She was invited to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but declined because of the German persecution that she had become aware of. In 1937, she gave her first performance at the White House for the Roosevelts. She would also dance for seven other presidents. She married Erick Hawkins, a dancer in her company, in 1948, but the marriage didn't last long.

Her most notable and probably longest lasting work was Appalachian Spring, which she choreographed in 1944. Graham didn't stop dancing until 1970, when she was 76 years old. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976, and in 1984 she was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government. She continued writing ballets until her death on April 1, 1991.