Everyone has some period of their life where they experience a feeling of rebellion. There are very few people who experience the kind of rebellion that changes the way people perceive an art form. And most never move the world with their creation.
When you think of art and the innovators who have carved a new and exciting path, you most likely think of Picasso and Pollock. These artists created a new look that had never been seen or even though about before. The same is true of Martha Graham for her contribution to the art of dance.
When we think about the artists who have created a new way of looking at art, we probably think about Picasso and Pollock. These two artists created an art that had never been seen and forced the people of their generation to see things in a different way. Martha Graham is an artist who has changed the way that people see and experience dance.
Martha Graham lived during the depression in New York City, which faced some of the most devastating poverty in the world. New York City was a city in turmoil with a huge population of unskilled immigrants there was a dark pall across the entire landscape. In fact, for many of the people who were living during this time, it seemed as if there were no hope.
It was Martha Graham's wish that the dances that she choreographed would speak to the real people. One of the most noted pieces that she created was called "Steps in the Street". This performance was an effort to show in dance the real pain that people were experiencing during the Depression. Twelve women in black dresses who display the agony and the helplessness that was a part of the landscape of the time perform the piece.
Her noted piece "Steps in the Streets", which was a part of a larger performance called Chronicle, she displays the pain and helplessness that many of the people in the city could relate to. Twelve women dressed in black dresses perform this piece of undulating movements on the stage. The dance through movement gives the audience a glimpse into the hopelessness and helplessness that so many real people's experience.
There were of course critics of Grahams work mostly because it was so misunderstood. Because her dance was so different than anything else that existed it took many years before it could be appreciated. Today, almost twenty years after Martha Graham died, we see dance as an art form that can be an expression that uses the body to communicate.
Martha Graham is an innovator in the world of dance because she used her medium to express the social situation and political truths of her time. Dance became, because of Graham, something more than just entertainment. It entered the realm of art.
Today, the work of Martha Graham is studied for its innovation at the time that it was created and for the concept of freedom of expression. Martha Graham should be thanked for her work that moved her chosen art forward into a new way of thinking and performing. Thanks to this innovative artist we now have a medium that can be used to express every human emotion.
It takes a brave few to push the envelope in the art world and move beyond what is currently the trend. It is the trend setters and the artists that step over boundaries and move their art forward without regard for their reputation or material wealth that we remember for centuries. No matter what the medium that is used, it takes innovation and forward thinking artists to continue to push the limits of what we perceive as art. Martha Graham is one of these artists.
About the Author:
Slade is a successful dancer, choreographer, fashion model and a mentor at Asia's Premier Film School, the International Academy of Film and Television.
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