Martha Graham Dance Company

The Martha Graham Dance Company has remained a leader in the development of contemporary dance since its founding in 1926. Its first headquarters consisted of a small dance studio on Broadway. The center later moved to a two story building at 316 East 63rd Street, New York. The Company has performed in over 50 countries, as well as giving lectures and performances throughout the United States. The Martha Graham Dance Company has nurtured many of the leading choreographers and dancers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Merce Cunningham, Erick Hawkins, Pearl Lang, Pascal Rioult, and Paul Taylor.

Martha Graham (1894-1991) was a pioneer of modern dance and one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century. She had her first independent recital in New York in 1926, after studying in Los Angeles at the Denishawn School; by the 1930s she had her own school and had founded the Martha Graham Dance Company. Her most famous early ballets include Lamentation (1930), Frontier (1935) and Appalachian Spring (1944). Her later works were informed by tales of North American lore, Greek mythology, the Bible and historical figures, including Joan of Arc and Emily Dickinson. Graham continued dancing to the age of 75.

Graham received Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in 1978, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1984. She published her memoir, Blood Memory in 1991.