Martha Graham

Martha Graham was the oldest of the three daughters of George Greenfield Graham and Jane Beers Graham. She was born on May 11, 1894, in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Her father was a physician whose practice provided a comfortable life for the family. In those days it was common for young girls to take an interest in the theater. Martha was no exception. One of her early attempts at costume design involved dressing up the familyÆs reluctant terrier in doll clothes. This episode is telling of her deep and lifelong interest in animals. She was especially fascinated in observing the way they moved.

MarthaÆs sister, Mary, had been afflicted with chronic athsma for most of her young life. By 1908, her health had degenerated to the degree that the family decided to move to a climate that would not further aggravate her condition. After a search for agreeable places to relocate, they settled in Santa Barbara, California. Santa Barbara was much more diverse than Allegheny. It was home to substantial populations of Chinese, Latinos and African-Americans, each of which presented a unique cultural component. In addition, there existed the traces of the original Native-American culture. It was in Santa Barbara that the 14-y

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a demonstrator in her classes. Within a year, Graham would live in the studio and teach her own classes. In 1920, Shawn created ôXochitlö as a vehicle for GrahamÆs obvious talent, it was her first starring role. It tells the story of the seductive relationship between an Aztec emperor and the young girl for whom the dance is named. The production went on a successful tour of the Pantages vaudeville circuit and gave Martha a taste for stardom. In 1923, Graham was hired for the 5th annual edition of the Greenwich Village Follies. This successful show included the usual mixed program of vaudeville acts, including comedy, drama and dance. Graham was now a financially independent, professional dancer. She earned flattering reviews, one critic favorably compared her to Ruth St. Denis. The work, however, did little to challenge her abilities and it quickly became apparent that it would never sufficiently fulfill her esthetic aspirations. Within two years she would extricate herself from the follies. She took a teaching position at the newly opened Anderson-Milton school, owned and operated by George Eastman and Rouben Mamoulian. She did not enjoy teaching but the position provided her with a studio of her own and the time
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Approximate Word count = 1435
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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