Graham, Martha (EN)

Graham Martha, *11 May 1894 Pittsburgh, †1 April 1991 New York City, American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She studied with R.S. Denis and T. Shawn. From 1916 to 1923 she was a soloist with the Denishawn company. Beginning in 1927 she directed her own school (the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance), and from 1929 her own dance company, with which she performed throughout the United States. From 1950 onward she undertook numerous international tours, (including performances in Poland in 1963). A leading figure in American modern dance, Graham developed her own dance technique, which has since become one of the most widely practiced training methods in modern dance. She created more than 150 ballets distinguished by strong psychological content and dramatic expression, frequently drawing on mythology and American traditions. In 1966 she received an honorary doctorate in musical arts from Harvard University.

Literature: M. Armitage Martha Graham, Los Angeles 1937; B. Morgan Martha Graham. 16 Dances in Photographs, New York 1941; L. Leatherman, M. Swope Martha Graham. Portrait of the Lady as an Artist, New York 1966; D. McDonagh Martha Graham. A Biography, New York 1974.