The Chorographical Visionary of Martha Graham - Essay Example

Dance History The visionary Martha Graham inspired a generation with her displays of art and expression, while, captivating the hearts and minds of those who had the privilege of witnessing her work. Certainly, Graham’s name shines across in the literature that has been penned down on dance history and choreography. Even though, Graham’s distinct representations and projections of art and dance have been scrutinized by several scholars, the words of Cass successfully highlight an integral and critical element of the creator’s works by suggesting that “if any choreographer dealt with the most excessive, dramatic emotions, it was Martha Graham” (10). On surface, identifying the choreographer’s work as intense only appears to be associated with a single aspect of what her exhibition encompassed, however, the poignantly emotional side of Graham is much more than a side to her story – for it is an observation that potentially embodies the social, historical and cultural context of her creations that allowed her to transform into a legend in her own right. The purpose of this paper is directed towards uncovering the realities of Graham’s dance works by comprehending the context of creations with regards to their historical development, cultural integration and social linkages. By assessing the aforementioned elements, the paper aims to conclude why Martha Graham is continued to be remembered as a visionary of her time and industry. The profound emotions that enslave Graham’s work are neither a mere coincidence nor an intentional desire to emerge as someone who’s different than the others. In fact, each action and movement defines the epitome of female spirituality (Franko 3). Examining the choreographer’s representation of women in her works, Cass asserts that as an individual composition one can clearly observe the tribulations of Graham’s female characters as they progress through their own emotions, feelings and behaviors (10). From the perspective of assessing each of her creations individually it is possible to categorize the pieces from their thematic elements, and most importantly by the manner in which the heroine emerges through her tribulations. Cass notes that quite intriguingly rather, an observer can comprehend that Graham does not believe in the perfection of human beings, for in each of the artists’ works her heroine can be seen as the slave of a single emotion or attribute – sometimes she is vain, docile and even childish, the other times she is licentious, zealous and infuriated (10). The social realm of this characteristic is that, the choreographer projects through these representations is that perfection is a myth. Individuals have been granted with that one dominant quality that often overrides other shades of personality and character. Graham’s dance works intend to celebrate and appraise this specific quality that can be transported to the decisive level (Cass 10). Accordingly, Cass observes that from a social context, the thematic elements of Graham’s works transcend the sphere of social ills that plague society (10). Graham was not distressed by the grief that surrounds one’s daily life, binding our actions and clouding our thoughts, observes Cass, for her the issues lay within the psyche and the mind itself such that when these emotions were projected in Graham’s works they were larger than life and enhanced to a grand scale with a unique combination of consciousness, fable and legend (10-11). For instance, in her work titled the Cave of Heart, Graham weaves a world that is ruled by Medea, a queen who is losing her youth and beauty to time and her husband’s love to a young rival, who happens to be the princess of a kingdom (Cass 10). The social commentary of this piece does not demonstrate current events or scenarios of the time to develop a storyline, the plot in itself is rather simple but it is the foundation of the plot which many can relate to. Jealousy is an emotion that is not new to experience or project through art but it is the manner of representing the emotions which emerges as the ultimate victory for Graham, for she is able to display something so small yet powerful in a story that perhaps spoke to many at the time and still does. It is through this social element of Martha Graham’s works that one is able to be reminded of the fact that society is ‘us’ after all, it is not the events that are marked by grandeur, sensationalism and greatness that define society or social context but the people itself and their emotions, behaviors and feelings. According to Franko, the historical association in Graham’s work can be observed by classifying the life and time of the artist up to the period that she displayed her passion for dancing and took to the stage as a performer and the span in which she let go of her craft as a performer to nurture talent as a choreographer (3). Following the year of 1969, when Martha Graham last performed as a dancer, their emerged a new side to her creativity and craft that was observed by countless colleagues and contemporaries. However, Franko understands that the events which led to her subsequent departure from the stage as a dancer cannot be deemed as responsible for in any way diminishing her contribution to either dance or culture (3). At this point in the discussion it is important to incorporate the role that the decade of the 1940s played in Graham’s progression and subsequent transformation as a maestro, for Franko this period was the legend’s “personal and political coming of age” (4). Responding to Graham’s relationship with the members of the audience and the immediate effect that her performances had on them, Franko sheds light on the volatility of the artist’s character, which caused her to shift from the celebrity status that was granted by the media and her stature as an artist that she valued herself so immensely (4-5). In more ways than one the counterintuitive aura of Graham’s postwar performances enabled her to create an image that was unbeknownst to the culture of America (Franko 4). The sensitivity of American culture was a matter not unknown to Graham for she understood it well as a dilemma and knew that it could be definitely projected and interpreted through dance. The artist’s contributions which visualize these elements encompass Heretic and Primitive Mysteries the latter of which critically assessed the landscape of religiosity in Native America, by combining this aspect with a theme of Catholicism and the diverse belief systems of the land (Foulkes 20). Intriguingly, Heretic presented a unique side to culture by acting as the anti-thesis of what was shown in Primitive Mysteries. As identified by Foulkes, Heretic established the ideology that the oneness and singularity of Native American culture is not a mere fallacy but something that is achievable no matter how difficult it appears to be (21). In conclusion, Martha Graham’s demonstration of rhythm, symbolism and flight in her works synthesized and harmonized the diversity of Native American, African American and white cultural elements to integrate them within the broad scope and sphere of American culture itself (Foulkes 21). The name of Martha Graham as a choreographer, artist and performer stands proudly in the list of legendary innovators and visionaries who changed their field of work for the better. As noted by Helpern, Martha Graham, the choreographer instilled in her learners the belief that if you stay committed to the result of your efforts, you will, in the process be able to advance your ability to perform and grow (74). Works Cited Cass, Joan. The Dance: A Handbook for the Appreciation of the Choreographic Experience. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co, 1999. Print. Foulkes, Julia L. Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002. Print. Franko, Mark. Martha Graham in Love and War: The Life in the Work. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Helpern, Alice. Martha Graham: A Special Issue of the Journal Choreography and Dance. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Internet resource. Read More