Martha Graham

Pioneering American modern dancer and choreographer, creator of the Graham technique.

Chronology: 1894-05-11 – 1991-04-01

Origins & Early Life

Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer responsible for creating the Graham technique. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She was the first dancer to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador, and receive the highest civilian award of the US: the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. In her lifetime she received honors including the Key to the City of Paris and Japan's Imperial Order of the Precious Crown.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

== Early life == Graham was born in Allegheny City, later to become part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1894. Her father, George Graham, was an "alienist", a practitioner of an early form of psychiatry. The Grahams were Presbyterians. Her father was a third-generation American of Irish descent. Graham's mother, Jane Beers, was a second-generation American of Irish, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and who claimed to be a tenth-generation descendant of Myles Standish.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

While her parents provided a comfortable environment in her youth, it was not one that encouraged dancing. The Graham family moved to Santa Maria, California, when Martha was fourteen years old. In 1911, she...

Source: Wikipedia