Biography of Martha Graham

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Martha Graham began her life in Alleghany, Pennsylvania on May 11, 1894. She would be the oldest of Jane and George Graham’s three girls. Her father was “alienist” that specialized in nervous disorders; a modern day psychologist.1 Although his Presbyterian beliefs were conservative, Dr. Graham’s unusual methods to diagnose through physical movement and his ideas about the body’s unique way to express its inner senses was an influence on his eldest daughter Martha. She would later quote his slogan, “Movement never lies”.2 The idea of body movement expressing emotion and feelings would become Martha Graham’s vocabulary, language and passion through a form of dance she would develop and perfect over her lifetime.
Her father unknowingly turned a key for Graham when he took her to see Ruth St. Denis perform at the Mason Opera House in 1911. She immediately became interested in dance but her parents did not approve due to their religious beliefs. She later enrolled in Cummock College, an arts related junior college. However, only after her father’s death and her graduation did she feel free to pursue her dream to dance.
In 1916, at age 22, Graham enrolled in Dennishawn School founded by her idol, Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn. She was far older, heavier and more inexperienced than most of the students. St. Denis first impression was, “Totally hopeless….What can I do with this?” 3What she lacked in experience she made up for in determination and perseverance. Soon she was showing her flair for performance and ability to show emotions. Two years in, she was teaching students at Dennishawn. Shawn choreographed the dance production “Xochitl” specifically for Graham. She did not disappoint in the role of a raped maiden as she r...

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...enberg. Bird's eye view: dancing with Martha Graham and on Broadway. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997.

Dalzell, Jenny. "Martha Graham." Dance Teacher 35, no. 1 (01, 2013): 52-52,54. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1272090071?accountid=27372.

"The History of Modern Dance." Ballet Austin. http://www.balletaustin.org/education/documents/HistoryofModernDanceStudentHandout.pdf (accessed April 2, 2014).

Mille, Agnes. Martha: the life and work of Martha Graham. New York: Random House, 1991.

"Martha Graham." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

" The Modern Dancers." University of Pittsburgh. http://www.pitt.edu/~gillis/dance/martha.html (accessed March 30, 2014).

PBS. "." PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/martha-graham/about-the-dancer/497/ (accessed March 28, 2014).

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