Martha Graham

Martha Graham is a dancer and choreographer that has revolutionized dancing. As the mother of modern dance, she challenged the rigid world of ballet and developed a new and innovative style that shocked audiences everywhere. She also influenced many who are still changing the face of dance today, including greats like Merce Cunningham and Jose Limon.
Born as one of three daughters to a physician in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, there was little in her early life that would point to her concluding profession. In fact, she didn’t start dancing till she was 22. She had been influenced tremendously by a performance of Ruth Saint-Denis, noting that “that night my fate was sealed. The curtain parted. The audience was still. Miss Ruth was doing a program that included her famous solos.” (Blood Memory) She became a student of St. Denis and Ted Shawn at their dance school, Denish...