Dancer, choreographer, and company director Martha Graham (1894-1991) is considered one of the pioneering founders of American modern dance. In a career spanning over seven decades, Graham developed her own innovative technique and produced an impressive legacy of 181 choreographic works. This vast online collection follows Graham’s work between 1918 and 1949, and offers a selection of materials related to it, including scrapbook clippings, concert programs, and photographs.
Materials related to Appalachian Spring, which made its debut in the Coolidge Auditorium on October 30, 1944, are just one of the many highlights of this new presentation. The selection includes classic images made by noted dance photographer Barbara Morgan, and images can also be found by such well known shutterbugs as Philippe Halsman and Andre Kertesz, as well as remarkable photos of Graham’s work Lamentation by filmmaker Herta Moselsio, whose collection is housed in the Music Division.
Many thanks to curator Elizabeth Aldrich, the Network Development team, including Kevin Ford, Elizabeth Fulford Miller and Nathaniel Trail, and the Scan lab, including Domenic Sergi, Joel Kaufman, and Michelle Minor, for their invaluable assistance on this project.
Comments (3)
This is wonderful biography of Martha Graham. I appreciate the links to help dive further in the dancer’s parcours and discover her work and influence in African American dance and culture. It was also very useful for an article I post on the history of dance ( http://artpreneure.blogspot.ca/2011/08/brief-history-of-dance.html).
Thank you for your great work!
Just want to correct a mistake I made on my precedent comment. The article is on Modern Dance (http://artpreneure.blogspot.ca/2011/09/modern-dance-is-great-way-to-express.html).
Thanks again!