Martha Graham

Overview

Martha Graham is a 20th-century American choreographer and dancer widely considered one of the most significant figures in modern dance and the first dancer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Martha Graham Technique, her approach to choreography, is a breath-centered system that challenged many of ballet's rules. Today, she is sometimes called "the Picasso of dance."

1440 Findings

Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.

  • The Martha Graham Technique, explained

    It's considered the first codified modern dance technique and a foundational pillar of American dance. In this 1975 instructional film, its namesake explains how the Graham Technique works. "As you can see," she notes, "the body is capable of almost endless variations and combinations once it is trained."

  • Watch Martha Graham perform 'Heretic'

    The 1929 piece features Graham in white, expressively dancing on her own, flanked by 12 dancers in black who follow a more rigid choreography. Some critics have argued the piece was an allegory for Graham's rebellion against ballet's strict traditions.

  • Watch Martha Graham perform 'Lamentation,' an influential piece on grief

    Graham choreographed and performed the piece about grief, which premiered in 1930. The dance is performed while seated, with Graham's character attempting to free herself from an all-encompassing purple jersey.

  • Martha Graham refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics

    Graham turned down an invitation to perform at that year's Summer Games in Berlin, citing the Nazi regime's persecution of artists and implying that Jewish members of her company would not be welcome. "Chronicle," a work about the rise of fascism, debuted in New York the following December.

  • Watch a performance of the influential ballet 'Appalachian Spring'

    This performance of the American ballet—choreographed by Martha Graham, with music composed by Aaron Copland—about a small community in 19th-century Pennsylvania, aired in 1959 on Pittsburgh's WQED.

Explore Society & Culture

Art, music, sports, entertainment, movies, and many other subjects—these elements define who we are as a society and how we express ourselves as a culture. Take a deep dive into the topics shaping our shared norms, values, institutions, and more.

View All Society & Culture