Martha Graham

Dancer / Choreographer

Martha Graham was a pioneer of modern dance and one of the most influential performers and choreographers of the 20th century. She made her independent debut in New York in 1926, after studying in southern California at the Denishawn School (founded by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn); by the 1930s she had her own school and dance company. A performer until the late 1960s, Graham's insistence on expression through every detailed movement helped shape interpretive dance and made her one of the most famous dancers of her lifetime. Her most famous early ballets include Lamentation (1930), Frontier (1935) and Appalachian Spring (1944, with composer Aaron Copland). Her later works were informed by tales of North American lore, Greek mythology, the Bible and historical figures, including Joan of Arc and Emily Dickinson. During her long career she had a devoted following and received many grants, honors and awards, and her school turned out some of the most prominent dancers and choreographers of the last half-century.