Martha Graham Charting the Heart Through Movement
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Martha Graham: Charting the Heart Through Movement
During the early part of the 20th century many young American women were trying to break from the confines of ballet and conventional dance by experimenting with new forms of physical expression. The feminist movement was in full swing and everything was being affected by it, dance was far from an exception. Among these new dancers was a quiet, shy, small town girl who would eventually become known around the world as the "Mother of Modern dance" and one of the Artistic Genius' of the 20th century.
Born in 1894, right outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Martha Graham was the eldest daughter of a human psychologist. This luck of the draw would become essential to her success. Graham's father specialized in body language and movement and how the human psyche effected and was affected by movement. This interest would be passed onto his daughter and the link between the human mind and body would become a signature of Martha's unique style of dance.
It was not until Martha was 17 that she saw her first dance recital. It was in California, where her family had moved three years earlier, and the dancer was Ruth St..