Most people go through a rebellious period in their lives at one time or another. For most the rebellious period comes and goes and does not affect the world around them. There are very few people who have the confidence and drive to change the way that an art form is perceived.

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.

In the art world the greatest artists are the ones who have brought about a revolution with their innovative thinking. Artists like Picasso changed the way we see the world. Pollock changed the way that we think that art is supposed to look like. And Martha Graham brought the world of dance out of the realm of entertainment and into the world of art.

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.

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.

There were critics of Graham’s work, however. It was difficult for them to understand what she was trying to accomplish with her work and what standpoint she was working from. It took many years for people to begin to understand that the dance that was created by Martha Graham was self expression in its agonizing glory.

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.

Because of the work of Martha Graham we can see dance as an art instead of a pleasant diversion from the harsh realities of real life. Her stand was daring and brave for confronting the people of her generation with the reality of many people’s existence. There was no fantasy or dream in her performances, but only the truth as she saw it.