On May 11, 1884, Martha Graham was born to parents George and Jenny graham. She is the oldest of three girls, and was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Her father was a very intelligent and wise man; he was a doctor. He taught Martha more about movement than anyone ever had, particularly that movements reveal many things about a person. As a child, Martha was difficult, she was always in trouble, and lied to get herself out of trouble. She was quiet, but very inquisitive and always curious and aware of everything that was going on around her. The people that knew her described her as being an extremely unique individual. .
Martha Graham lived her life as an American dancer, choreographer, teacher, and even as an actress. Although she achieved all these titles, she was very modest and thought of herself only as a dancer. At the same time, she was very narcissistic, and thought of herself as the greatest dancer there was. Undoubtedly, she was one of the most prominent figures in America during the 20th century. She was a pioneer of modern dance, in her words- "contemporary" dance. .
Martha choreographed more than 160 works. They required great discipline and flexibility to perform, and were highly individual, and articulate. Her works were usually very theatrical, making them rigorous, and often harsh or severe. Most of her dances were based on historical or mythological subjects, and showed how people felt inside by their movements. They dealt with realistic issues and were intended to evoke deep emotions from the audience. A lot of focus was placed on the dancer's body, particularly the technique of contracting and releasing specific parts, which would come to be known as the Martha Graham technique. She also pioneered the flashback technique, which is when the dance is not in chronological order and some scenes flash back to show something that happened in the past. Martha did dance herself, and acquired her earliest training while enrolled at the Denishawn dance school in Los Angles, California.
