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Martha Graham

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  • Born in Alleghney, PA to the parents of George and Jane Graham

    Born in Alleghney, PA to the parents of George and Jane Graham.

  • moved to California with her family

  • Saw Ruth St. Denis, who was a modern dance pioneer, perform at Mason Opera House in Los Angelos, where Graham started to develop the passion for dance. She was not allowed to fulfill this passion at first because of her presbyterian beliefs.

  • began dancing at Denishawn, where over the next seven years she grew from being a student to a teacher. She grew into one of the companies best performers.

  • left denishawn to join the Greenwich villaga follies in the artist community within New York

  • left Greenwich to establish a career. She began teaching at Eastman School of Music and theatre in Rochester, NY and the John Murray Anderson school in NYC

  • established own comapny called Martha Graham center of contemporary dance

  • "Revolt" choreography

  • "Lamenation" was premiered- Graham's signature solo

  • turned down Hitler’s invitation to perform at the International Arts Festival organized in conjunction with the Olympic Games in Berlin

  • wrote in the essay "A Platform for American Dance"

  • choreography "deaths and entrances"

  • "Appalchian Spring" choreograhpy

  • "Embattled Garden" choreography

  • "Phaedra" choreography

  • she was given the Local One Centennial Award for dance by her theater colleagues

  • passed away

  • TIME Magazine named her the “Dancer of the Century.”