by Jeni Rosier

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Martha Graham changed the whole concept of dance in many ways. Along with her German counterpart, Mary Wigman (who she never met) Graham pioneered many concepts which are still used, developed and discussed today.

Before Graham only Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, Ruth St. Denis and Isadora Duncan had really challenged the concept of dance and shown audiences that there was a way forward for theatre dance without following the conventions of classical ballet.

You only have to look at a still from the famous Lamentation (1930) to see how different her ideas were to those of the ballet masters (check out http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri121.html for pictures).

Some of the main concepts that Graham developed were:

For subject matter Graham used socio-political themes: Lamentation (1930) was a solo based on the suffering of a woman in the USA during the depression; Steps in the Street (1936) explored ideas of the individual in an authoritarian society.

Greek Myths and stories from the Christian Bible were another source of inspiration to Graham. Over her 65 year career as a choreographer she choreographed countless works, the most celebrated of which include Cave of the Heart (1946) telling the story of Medea, Jason and the Golden Fleece; and Errand into the Maze (1947) is based on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. These works illustrate the element of primitivism.

Works such as Gospel of Eve (1950) and The Triumph of Saint Joan (1951), show her principle of feminism and works such as Appalachian Spring (1944) draw on the idea of pioneering American's heading west for a new life.

The elements of feminism, primitivism, socio-politics in her chosen themes all correlate with the artistic and musical movements of the time, bringing dance into the mix with other art forms as they developed over the 20th Century. It is clear to the dancer that Graham's legacy is as important in dance as the legacy of impressionists, surrealists and other movements in art.

The entire carriage of a Graham dancer is different to that of a ballerina. Graham used the floor much more and the movement is weightier making use of gravity and the rebound provided by a swing produced fluid movement in a more natural way than that of ballet. Pedestrian movements such as walking, running, skipping and hopping are utilised, as is gesture.

Graham re-wrote the book on the conveyance of emotion in dance. Her ideal was not centred on looking beautiful at all times as with ballet, but to use the whole body

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