Martha Graham

Martha Graham was an American modern dancer, teacher, and choreographer whose artistic activities transformed the dance world. Martha had a long career, lasting more than 50 years. Graham created 181 ballets and developed a technique of dance that revolutionized the art form throughout the whole world. 

Graham was born in 1894 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, where she lived until her family relocated to the West Coast in 1904. Her father, a doctor, specialized in nervous disorders, and he was especially interested in diagnosis through attention to physical movement. His belief in the body's ability to express its inner senses was pivotal in Grahams's desire to dance. 

Graham's impact on dance was sensational . Her contributions transformed the art form, revitalizing and expanding dance around the world. In her search to express herself freely and honestly. She created the Martha Graham Dance Company, one of the oldest dance companies in America. As a teacher Graham trained and inspired generations of dancers. The first choreographer to regularly employ both Asian-and African-American Dancers and choreographers, she collaborated with some of the foremost artists of her time. In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded her The Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 1985, President Ronald Reagan bestowed her with a National Medal of Arts. 

Graham's continued experimentation and her constant attention to human emotion, frailty, and perseverance is one of the greatest individual achievements in American cultural history.