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The Modern Dance Movement & Martha Graham

Martha Graham was arguably one of the greatest artists of the American tradition. She has earned a place in the company of such luminaries as Stravinski, Picasso, Joyce and Brancusi for her creation of an entirely new art form. As her contemporaries had done within their respective genres, Graham re-examined the creative possibilities of movement, gesture, composition and theatrical symbolism to expand the expressive vocabulary of dance. Through her innovative approach, she single-handedly initiated the modern dance movement.

In the 1920s, when Graham began her career as a professional dancer, the classical ballet was the dominant artistic genre. As is the case with any classical form, the ballet was, and continues to be, a highly refined tradition that offers sublime expressions of grace and beauty. Over the 300 or so years of its development, however, it had become a somewhat formulaic medium of artistic expression. As a traditional art form, the acceptable repertoire of movement was well-established. Any innovations could be incorporated only when they were proven to be aesthetically compatible with the tradition.

The ballet evokes the aesthetics of weightlessness and flight. With graceful leaps, the dancer appears to transcend gravity and all things earthly. Although there are only five basic, relatively simple positions that form the basis for all balletic movement, they must be performed with grace and agility if the dancer is to convincingly create the illusion of lofty weightlessness. It has always been a difficult challenge. As such, the standards of performance for the ballet had reached a high level of virtuosity that required many years of training and practice for even a gifted student to master the form. Most students begin their training at the young age of 8 to 12 years old.

Because of the formidable technical demands, the ballet had ceased to be an accessible means of expression for many aspiri...

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The Modern Dance Movement & Martha Graham. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:05, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1713071.html