Dancer and choreographer Martha Graham: biography. School and dance technique Martha Graham

In any encyclopedia of modern ballet, the name of the dancer Martha Graham will stand in a place of honor. It can be called a revolutionary and a destroyer of foundations. The Graham Dance School and its technique became the basis for modern choreography and influenced the development of ballet all over the world.

The beginning of the way

May 11, 1894 in a small American city was born Martha Graham. Neither the environment, nor the family, nor the time seemed to foreshadow a great future for this girl, but fate decreed otherwise. The Graham family came from the first settlers in America who came from Scotland. The father of the future dancer was a doctor-psychiatrist, parents professed Presbyterianism and adhered to very conservative views on life. The family was well-off, a small Marta was surrounded by a Catholic nanny and servants, the Chinese and Japanese worked in the house. Thus, the girl from childhood could get acquainted with different cultures.

But dances in the family were regarded as something unworthy and sinful. Therefore, Martha first encountered the art of choreography for almost 20 years. She managed to attend the performance of the famous Ruth Saint-Denis, which turned the world of the girl. She takes a categorical decision to enter the Expression School, and later continues her studies at the famous Denishoun school, which was run by Saint-Denis himself along with the distinguished choreographer Ted Shaun. In a few years she will join the company Denishouun and make her debut in her performances on the big stage.

Dance of the Victorian era

At the turn of the century, there was a strong belief in public opinion that dancing was not a serious activity. It was an element of entertaining shows: vaudeville, cabaret. In the US, the classical ballet at that time did not receive a significant expansion, there was no established national school. There were also a lot of stereotypical ideas about dance. Men were prescribed rational, straightforward joggling movements, women were supposed to embody the smoothness of the lines. Restrictions were extended to dance scenes, classical, antique themes were preferred. The woman was obliged to realize lyrical roles with a soft plastic pattern.

Comprehension of opportunities

Martha Graham came to the choreography late even by the standards of that time - at the age of 20, so the classical dance was given to her with difficulty, but he did not care. In the troupe "Denishoun" from her demanded lyricism, which was not peculiar to her. Ted Shawn - recognized father of American dance - saw in Graham special energy and abilities, her charisma and passionate character and made for her the production of Xochitl. In it, Marta's special style, the "ferocity of the black panther" and her beauty could manifest itself. She passionately fell in love with modernity, which was found not only in the era, but also in her views and in her character. Since childhood, Martha heard her father's arguments that movements can convey the inner, emotional state of a person. It was this idea that led her to create her own technique.

Going beyond the possible

The search for plastic possibilities was a trend of time, and Marta Graham, the technique of which became a breakthrough in modern dance, was no exception on this path. She sought to eliminate gender inequality in the dance, to give the woman the right to express strong feelings with the help of sharp, torn movements. Graham wanted to create a technique that would help dancers become conditionally formal, embodying emotion and idea. She demanded discipline and high concentration from the dancers, while she could simplify the classical tradition of plastics for easier understanding of the idea by the viewer and gave the dancers more opportunities to convey emotions. Reflections and creative search helped Graham understand that the dance is based on three foundations: time, energy and space. Energy is associated with the emotions that cause motion, this became the starting point of her technique. The lessons in Martha's class began with a chain of simple movements that intertwined into complex compositions. The technique is based on two principles: contraction (compression) and release (lengthening). She forced the dancer to concentrate on the center and obey the anatomical laws of plastics. The search for self-expression in the dance allowed Graham to create a unique technique in which breathing and concentration play an important role. She was able to understand and use the aesthetic goals of the human body. Her technique is still the base for modern dance and is included in all programs for professional dancers.

Martha understood that people perceive the world through images, myths, archetypes, and used it in their productions. Martha Graham proposed to dance on non-classical subjects. She tried to give the dancers the greatest freedom in expressing feelings.

Martha Graham's troupe

In 1926, Martha left the company Denishouun, in which she did not have the opportunity to realize their ideas. After all, the troupe had its own queen - Saint-Denis, and there was no room for Graham. She collects her troupe in 1927, which was originally purely feminine, it included the most devoted pupils. Martha was close to feminist views, she thought a lot about the role of women in society and tried to give her more rights and opportunities. She even devoted several productions to this topic: "Heretic", "Border" and the famous "Lamentation." In these productions, Graham embodies his ideas and findings, captivating viewers with new plastic.

In 1938 the first man appeared in the troupe - Eric Hawkins, who moves Martha to modernize the technique of dance, it is enriched by classical elements. A little later, Merce Cunningham came to the troupe, who became famous as a destroyer of traditional choreographic canons.

The world-known troupe of Martha received after the tour of the countries of Europe and the Middle East. The choreographer creates another school, which, together with the troupe, receives a permanent place of localization in New York. This team still exists today. And not as a monument to the great Graham, but as a living, creative collective. The repertoire of the troupe has preserved many of Martha's productions, all of her performances are fixed for posterity.

Main productions

For her creative life Martha Graham composed 180 performances. Her legacy is striking in variety and richness, it is difficult to single out something as the most-most. But the most notable productions of Graham are "Letter to the World", "Cave of the Heart", "Clytemnestra", "Phaedra", "Poluyav-Slyson", "Acts of Light." Her performances were distinguished not only by magnificent choreography, but also by thoughtfulness to trifles. She chose costumes, music, took spatial decisions, participated in the creation of scenery. Her performances today are a classic tool for dancers and choreographers.

Great Partners

In the history of the ballet a lot of outstanding people, but living their life as a dance - a little. The great dancer of the 20th century, who managed to embody all the passion and her story in dance, is Martha Graham. The ballerina's photos amaze with strength and expression, she plunged into the image to the smallest detail, she thought out the choreography and costumes herself. And very much attention was paid to choosing a dance partner. She has worked with many great contemporaries (Nureyev, Paul Taylor, Mers Cunningham, Robert Wilson). A special line in her biography is associated with the creation of modern dance, and here the tandem of Jose Lemon and Martha Graham can not be forgotten. These two innovators, the greatest revolutionaries, have created something that fascinates viewers so far.

Influence on the world ballet

If there are persons who radically influenced the culture of the 20th century, then this is Martha Graham. Quotations from her statements vividly characterize the dancer and her attitude to the cause of her life. She said: "Movement never lies, the body transmits the temperature of the soul." Marta made the feeling the main idea of the dance, and it became her main merit. She was also able to develop a plastic language for expressing emotions, which became the unique technique of Martha Graham. She is rightfully considered the founder of modern dance in America, and her importance for the creation of a national choreographic school can not be overestimated.

She not only created a unique troupe, but also staged performances for many theaters in which the spectator could see such magnificent dancers as Rudolph Nuriyev, Margot Fontaine, Maya Plisetskaya, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova.

Personal life

Marta Graham, whose biography is wholly given to the ballet, could not be fully realized as a woman. Her husband was a dance partner , a handsome man - Eric Hawkins. They lived together for 6 years, and the gap was a great shock to Martha, but she was able to extract from this emotional experience, which was the source of inspiration in the dance. She left the stage at the age of 76, experienced a severe depression in this regard, but managed to overcome the ailment and return to the work of the choreographer, having composed 10 more ballets. She passed away from life in 96 years.