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“How was contemporary movement introduced to Britain in the 1960’s? Who were the influences, works and companies that evolved from this movement?” Contemporary movement was introduced to Britain in the 60’s with respect to work that had been done in the United States by Martha Graham, working originally out of a tiny Carnegie Hall studio in midtown Manhattan back in 1926. Martha Graham has often been compared to Constantin Stanislavsky (the “father” of contemporary theatre), and his work with the Art Theatre in Moscow. This is, in the main, because both were such revolutionary characters, and extremely passionate about their arts to the point of overwork and illness. Both were also uncompromising individuals who worked their students hard, but only because they were always prepared to go further. Martha Graham became a darling of “Time” magazine, the “face” of American dance, and was hailed as “one of the great new yorkers – the woman of the century”, but who was this eponymous lady? Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1894, the daughter of an “alienist” (psychologist) who specialised in movement – an interest he passed on to his eldest daughter, along with the dictum “movement never lies”, Miss Graham was not allowed to pursue her love of dance by her Father, and did not officially begin until after his death. In 1908, Martha’s family moved to Santa Barbara, California where she finished her secondary schooling. Martha went to a school of dramatics for three years, and then in 1916 began studying at Denishawn.
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