Essays on Martha Graham

For many years, men have always been dominant over women in various societies. They are always praised for their accomplishments or any achievements they make. In most cases, we ignore or fail to acknowledge the fact that women also play a huge role in the society and they ought to be appreciated. For the longest period, women in many cultures stay at home and take care of their children and husbands. Therefore, women are the backbone of the home, and they keep the society from falling apart and ultimately keep it functional. It is clear that without women, men ...

Born on 11th may 1894, Martha Graham was an American choreographer and contemporary dancer whose effect on dance can only be matched to Frank Wright’s influence on architecture, Picasso’s on arts and Stravinsky’s impact on music (Graham, 08). Martha was born of George Graham and Jane Beers in Allegheny City. Her parents were strict Presbyterians. She began her studies at Denishawn School of Dancing and Correlated Arts in the mid-1910s and stayed until 1923 (Thoms, 03). Her career in dancing and music started in 1922 when she performed one of Shawn's Egyptian discos with Lillian Powell ...

Abstract

The paper focuses on the origin of the Pilates method of exercise. It also takes a step-by-step journey of Joseph Pilates (Joe) who was the founder of the Pilates method of exercise. Finally the paper will consider Pilates in the contemporary world. Pilates refers to a system of physical fitness that was established in the early 20th century. It was developed by Joseph Pilates. Joe was a German born in the year 1880. He suffered from rickets, rheumatic fever, and asthma during his childhood years. Because of the continuous suffering brought by the foregoing conditions, Joe was very week and he ...

Martha Graham was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 11, 1894, but she moved to Santa Barbara, California in 1908, and it was there that she spent most of her early years. Her father was a physician who specialized in using physical movements to treat mental and neurological disorders, and it was he who would prove to be one of the greatest influences, both on Martha’s choice of career as a dancer and on how she used dance to portray images and emotions (A+E Network, 2012). Perhaps the inciting moment of her professional life came when she was ...

‘Obsessions’ is a piece of physical theatre, largely encompassing the medium of dance (Tempah, 2011). The overall theme, as its name suggests, concerns obsession and how people can be affected by it in their day to day lives. The piece incorporates many dance and dramatic techniques. There are several sequences and motifs which are repeated, and a variety of obsessions are depicted. Influences for the piece include Martha Graham and Jerzy Grotowski. ‘Obsessions’ encompasses both ensemble and individual elements. The piece is shaped around a day, starting with waking up and ending in the same fashion. The dance begins with ...