Martha Graham: research paper

“People have always asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with that I live all my life. When a young dancer of mine asks me if she should be a dancer, I always answer, ‘If you have to ask, then the answer is no.’ Only if there is one way to make life vivid for yourself and for others should you embark upon such a career...You will know the wonders of the human body because there is nothing more wonderful. Next time you look into the mirror, just look at the way the ears rest next to the head; look at the way the hairline grows; think of all the little bones in your wrist. It is a miracle. And the dance is a celebration of the miracle.” (Graham, 5)

Martha Graham not only spoke those words she lived them. Born on May 11, 1894 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Graham invented a form of dance that astonished the world in the 20th century. She was not the first woman to break the ridgidness of conventional 19th century ballet; many women before her accomplished that. But it was her “homegrown” technique that startled audiences who took the ability of dancers for granted (Teachout). No longer did dancers soar through the air and descend gravity, now pelvic thrusts

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This was Graham's first real step towards the world of dance and came as a bit of a shock to her. For her, movement originated in the tension of a contracted muscle, and continued in the flow of energy released from the body as the muscle relaxed. Her emotional drive was exceptional as both a student and a teacher, and she never once gave up (McDonagh, 25).

Together, Graham and her company choreographed and performed about 160 works, creating unique “dance plays“ and using a variety of themes to express emotion and conflict (Teachout).

Shawn quickly began to invent roles for Graham. Throughout her seven years at Denishawn, Graham evolved from a student, to a teacher, to one of the company's best-known performers. This method of muscle control gave Graham's dances and dancers a hard, angular look, one that was very unfamiliar to dance audiences who were accustomed to the smooth, lyrical motions of Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. After a two-year break to decide her fate as a dancer, Graham gave her last stage performance was at the age of 74 (Teachout). Graham was once asked how she would like to be remembered: as a dancer or as a choreographer and she undoubtedly answered “as a dancer” (Teachout). Another influence was the dancer Rony Johansson. In 1916 Graham made her first public appearance as a dancer in a professional dance company in “A Dance Pageant of Egypt, Greece, and Italy,” even though she had a very small part in the production. “Although Graham did not invent modern dance, she came to embody it, arrogantly and spectacularly--and, it appears, permanently” (Teachout). Martha Graham once said that "The center of the stage is where I am. "Appalachian Spring" illustrates how Graham adapted her percussive, angular movement style to fit the period and setting of the piece (Graham, 90). However, Graham was teaching what she barely knew herself and performing with hardly any experience.

Approximate Word count = 1631
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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