Rebellion is a part of human nature. It is something that everyone goes through at some point in their life. Very few people can say that their rebellion caused a revolution.
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.
When Martha Graham looked at the stage productions that were being shown on Broadway and found them to be an escape from the social situation for just a precious few elite members of society. For her, it was more important to show the pain and suffering of the people that lived around her in the streets of New York. She started to dance with the pain that she witnessed every day.
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.
The stage is a black box with the twelve women dancing a dance that can only be described as agony set to motion. The undulations of the women as they move across the stage are a depiction of the collective downward spiral of so many that was living in society during that time. It was a dance that very few people could classify or even understand.
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.
This pioneer was not afraid to let the world see her vision. She did not fear the words of the critics or the condemnation that might be directed toward her. She took her passion and artistic sense and created a world that sees dance as an art.
There are very few people who are brave enough to push an entire art form into the future. She taught the world that the medium that is used to make a statement does not matter. Artists are those who push fearlessly into the future and bring their art with them for those in future generations to enjoy.
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.
