Essay On Martha Graham
Martha Graham: dancer, teacher, choreographer, mother of 20th century dance.
Martha is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th
century. Her dance technique and style was constantly growing and expanding
through experimentation of what the body could do based on its own structure. I
wanted to begin, she said, not with characters or ideas, but with movement (World
Biography). She believed that the purpose of dancewas to create an increased
awareness of life and a greater understanding of the nature of humans. By rejecting
the traditional steps of classical ballet and experiencing the art of dance from a
unique perspective, Martha Grahamcould inspire others and become a pioneer and
major figure of... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Not many years later, George Graham dies suddenly, leaving
Martha an open opportunity to enroll into a school of art.
From the years 1913 1916, Martha attended the Cumnock School of Expression, a
junior college in Santa Barbara where she would study academic and practical theater
arts. This is where her dancing experience would technically begin, as the students
had interpretive dancing three times per week. In 1916, Graham enrolled into the
Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn
School of Dance in Los Angeles. The school taught ballet, ethnic dance, music,
codified dramatic gestures, makeup, lighting, costumes, dance history, Greek
philosophy, and yoga and meditation. At age 22, Martha had a late start for
training, yet was still serious and intent on becoming a prestigious dancer. Martha
s body was very supple and strong and had the ability to project most every
dramatic movement. She had an extremely flexible body and was very small yet
often appeared to be taller. She was also very disciplined and precise. Ruth
ultimately was unimpressed by Graham s abilities, yet Shawn was drawn to her
diligence and memory of the steps and movements. Martha began performing in
1919 and was given her first leading role in the piece Xochitl in 1920. Soon after
Martha s success in this production, Louis Horst, a pianist for the Denishawn
Company, becomes her strong critic, influence, and mentor of hers. Graham leaves
Denishawn Studio in 1923 after producer/director John Murray