The Mother of Modern Dance
“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” -Martha Graham. She sure had a lot of passion; with many things against her she persevered. She may have not had the ideal body, or early start most dancers do, but she knew who she was, she knew what she wanted, and she knew how to get it. Martha Graham has changed the way the world sees modern dance and has greatly affected the art form. Martha had always had an interest in performing, but her parents didn’t support her right away because they thought it was an impractical dream. She originally majored in drama, then switched over to dance. Martha’s father studied body language and how it portrays people’s feelings, which in today’s world he would be known as a psychiatrist. He passed this onto Graham, which influenced her dancing greatly. Martha also had an apprenticeship with the Denishawn dance group, a phenomenal dance group in which many great dancers branched out from and created their own companies, such as Martha Graham. Though Martha didn’t start dance till’ her late teens/early twenties, that didn’t shorten her career one bit. She danced professionally till’ the age of 76 and choreographed almost till the day she died. |
Martha Graham is known as the mother of modern dance, it’s ironic though because she did not like her type of movement to be referred to as modern, she called it contemporary. Martha Graham is famous for her creating her own style of movement that challenged the limits of dance. Martha’s movement consisted of contractions in the core and making her dance look hard and intricate, anything but effortless. Martha was the first person to create a technique for modern dance, she created her own set of rules and exercises for this, it’s so complex that it takes 10 years to master.
Martha Graham took many risks in her life, and they resulted in great things. For instance pursuing her dream of performing, while the odds were against her. She put everyone's doubts aside and set her mind on what she wanted to do, dance. Another risk she took or act of bravery she had was when she decided to choreograph dances of a new style. Not knowing what people would think, how they’d react, or what they’d do, she took a risk and pursued her dream. There’s a great lesson to be learned from her, don’t be afraid, if you have a calling pursue it, it’s never too late. Martha Graham created a new form of dance and changed the way we see ballets. Martha Graham was one of the most influential dancers of the twentieth century. She greatly affected the world of dance, and she will not be forgotten. Martha impacted many people and trained some of the most amazing dancers today, from Alvin Ailey to Woody Allen and also Madonna! She has had a lasting impact on many people’s hearts with her ballets, and has forever changed modern dance. |