Martha Graham | Steps in the Streets

Martha Graham was a pioneer of modern dance. She was 17 years old when she saw her first dance performance by Ruth St. Denis. A few years later she began studying at Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts founded by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. In 1922, she danced in a silent film that tried to synchronize the live sound with the film. Basically, they had the dancer and conductor on film and the live orchestra would follow the conductor on the film to synch everything up.

She left Denishawn in 1923. Her goal was to make dance reveal the inner man, and make something about the human experience rather than simply entertainment. Growing up the child of a psychiatrist feels like it was relevant here. I mean surely there would be some sort of Freudian interpretation of the daughter of an alienist transforming the field of dance into an exploration of the inner workings of humanity

See Graham's piece, Steps in the Streets on Youtube

My guest for this episode was Sean Roschman, director for Niko8.

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