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Creator
Martha Graham Dance Company
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 532
Physical description
67.56 linear feet (138 boxes, 58 oversize folders, 1 tube)
Language
Multiple languages
Preferred Citation
Martha Graham Dance Company collection, (S) *MGZMD 532. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The Martha Graham Dance Company collection, dating from 1900 to 2017, is comprised of materials that document the career of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham and trace the history of the development of her company and school. The collection is a significant assembly of personal artifacts, correspondence, business documentation, costume designs, photographs, touring files, publications, posters, performance programs, and audio and moving image recordings.

Biographical/historical information

Martha Graham (born May 11, 1894 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania) was an American modern dancer, choreographer, teacher, and founder of the Martha Graham Dance Company. Over the course of her seventy year-long career, she created 181 choreographic works and is renowned for her revolutionary movement style named the Graham technique. Graham's thematic material for her choreography was often informed by modern art, Americana and North American lore, Greek mythology, and female Biblical and historical figures, including Joan of Arc and Emily Dickinson. Graham subverted tradition by retelling these stories from a woman's psyche, which became a trademark of her artistry.

The Martha Graham Dance Company (MGDC) is the oldest American dance company and has been responsible for nurturing many of the most significant twentieth and twenty-first-century modern dancers and choreographers. Dancers who began at MGDC include Merce Cunningham, Erick Hawkins, Pearl Lang, and Paul Taylor. The repertoire has also attracted guest performances from Mikhail Baryshnikov, Liza Minelli, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, and Maya Plisetskaya.

Martha Graham resided in Allegheny City until she was fourteen when the family moved to Santa Barbara, California. In 1911, she was first exposed to dance at the Mason Opera House in Los Angeles. She watched her future teacher and co-founder of the Denishawn School, Ruth St. Denis. Shortly after this encounter in 1916, Graham's early dance career began at the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. Two years later, she began teaching and eventually performing with the Denishawn company until 1923. She appeared in title roles in productions of Xochitl, Serenata Morisca, and Spanish Suite I.

After leaving the Denishawn company, Graham embarked on a journey to develop her own specialized dance technique which rebelled against the movement pastiches she learned at Denishawn. Her goal was to express primal human emotion with a stripped-down approach to movement and dance. She wished to remove the decorative aspects of dance and focus on the human body's natural movements while conveying powerful emotional expression. The concept behind the Graham technique is based on a breathing cycle of contraction and release and is widely regarded as the first codified modern dance technique. Her style is also known for dramatic and distinctive floorwork filled with tension. This technique became the hallmark of modern and contemporary dance throughout the twentieth century and continues to be taught today throughout the world.

In 1926, Graham established the Martha Graham and Dance Group in Manhattan (renamed Martha Graham Dance Company in 1941) and debuted her choreography in a concert consisting of eighteen short solo and trio performances. That same year, Graham and Japanese-American photographer Soichi Sunami began their long-time collaboration.

Graham's work Heretic, created in 1929, served as a blueprint for her works to follow in the future. This dance showed a clear diversion from her training at Denishawn and established her style using sharp and constricted movements with dancers in plain, minimally designed, yet evocative clothing.

The works of Graham garnered the attention of artists and composers with whom she would collaborate throughout her career. She began a long and distinguished collaboration with Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi to create sets and scenery that complemented her modern ethos. Instead of using flats and drops, she opted to use sculpture and three-dimensional set pieces to explore the space in a unique and avant-garde manner.

Until 1938, the company featured an all-female roster. That year, Graham's future husband, Erick Hawkins, joined and danced in the first male-female duet titled American Document. He eventually became Graham's male lead dancer and frequent partner, but they later divorced in 1954. Hawkins' entry into the company opened the door to other male dancers who would later become innovators in their own right such as Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor.

In 1944, Graham collaborated with Noguchi and composer Aaron Copland to create one of her most iconic works, Appalachian Spring. The piece was conceived around the idea of American pioneers and their challenges as they began life in the wilderness. Graham cast herself in the main role of the young bride, as she often did with her works.

Another artistic mind that figured prominently in Graham's personal and professional life was fashion designer Halston. In the early 1970s, the two forged a close friendship as well as a symbiotic creative relationship. Halston often designed clothing for Graham to wear as well as costumes for her many dances. Graham believed that fabric contributed to a dance's emotional expression, a value that Halston shared.

In 1958, the Martha Graham Dance Company staged the premiere of Clytemnestra, based on an ancient Greek legend. The work was met with critical acclaim and was the only full-length work in Graham's career.

1970 marked the final performance of Graham when she appeared in Cortege of Eagles at age 76. Following her retirement from performing, Graham struggled with depression and alcoholism fueled by her inability to perform her own choreography, being relegated to the stage's wings. However, in 1972, she ceased drinking and went on to choreograph ten new dances, many revivals, and her final completed work Maple Leaf Rag (1990).

Graham continued to choreograph until her death on April 1, 1991 in New York City. Just before her passing, she completed the final draft of Blood Memory, her autobiography, posthumously published that fall.

During her lifetime and after death, Graham was bestowed with countless awards and accolades recognizing her extraordinary contributions to the dance world. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford bestowed upon Martha Graham the United States' highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, and declared her a "national treasure," making her the first dancer and choreographer to receive this honor. In 1998, Time Magazine named Martha Graham the "Dancer of the Century," and People Magazine named her among the female "Icons of the Century."

After Graham's death, the company went through several organizational iterations. In 2000, the company endured financial and legal complications during a dispute over the rights to Graham's choreography. Her legacy was left to former Associate Director, Ron Protas, but refused to allow the company to perform. This coincided with low sales, cutbacks to public funding, and growing debt, which ultimately forced performances to be canceled. Consequently, the Graham school, now known as the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, ceased operations temporarily. However, in 2002, a federal court awarded the rights to Graham's choreography back to the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. After winning two court cases against Ron Protas in 2004, the company began to stage dances once again.

In 2005, Janet Eilber, a former soloist with MGDC, became the company's current Artistic Director. The Martha Graham Dance Company continues to perform Graham's works as well as newly created pieces inspired by Graham's legacy. The company continues to tour and perform at festivals both nationally and internationally while also looking to the future with new platforms to engage a more diverse audience.

Scope and arrangement

The Martha Graham Dance Company collection, dating from 1900 to 2017, documents the life and career of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham and traces the history and development of her company and school. The collection is a significant assembly of personal artifacts and papers in addition to administrative documentation that examines the inner workings of the Martha Graham Dance Company. The collection contains artifacts, correspondence, choreographic notes, business documentation, set and costume designs, photographs, touring files, publications, posters, performance programs, and audio and moving image recordings. The Audio and Moving Image recordings consist largely of performance and rehearsal footage for the Martha Graham Dance Company. There are also recordings of classes and performances by the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble and the students at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. In addition to the rehearsal and performance recordings, there are also news broadcasts and interviews, as well as short promotional videos for the dance school and company.

The Martha Graham Dance Company collection is arranged in seven series:

  • Series I: Historical Items
    1930-2017
    11.71 linear feet (21 boxes, 8 oversize folders)

    Series I, Historical Items, brings together historically significant objects and papers that chronicle the early personal life of founder Martha Graham and the company's early formation and lasting impact on contemporary dance.

    The Choreographic Notes written by Graham about her choreography and artistic process are critical to the enduring legacy of her technique. The notes are arranged alphabetically by title and encompass over twenty-five works, some handwritten with annotations. The notes often include step sequences, staging diagrams, and Graham's own opinions on music, costumes, and set designs. The notes are often "scripts" and describe each work's meaning and tone.

    The correspondence dates from the 1930s through the 2000s after Graham's death, and are both personal and professional in nature. Most of the letters are addressed to Georgia (Geordie) Graham Sargeant, Graham's youngest sister and former director of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance from the 1940s through the 1960s. Several letters from Jane Beers Graham, mother of Martha and Georgia, contain content such as advice for her daughters, commentary on Martha's rise to fame, personal anecdotes, and well wishes. Other correspondents to Georgia include her ex-husband Winthrop Sargeant and Aunt Rhea.

    There are about a dozen photocopied letters authored by Martha Graham to David Zellmer, a company member, during his miltiary service during World War II from 1942 through 1944.

    Other letters are from various notable correspondents, including composer Aaron Copland, former company committee member André Leon Talley, and former first ladies Barbara Bush and Betty Ford.

    Among Graham's personal artifacts are two leather belts worn by Graham as well as a childhood keepsake box containing her rosary, bible, a pair of white gloves, a pair of stockings, and three tintypes of unidentified male relatives. Other personal artifacts included in the collection are is an Indonesian shadow puppet which was gifted to her and a road-case that traveled with the company to contain costumes and other paraphernalia. There are also about 160 checks that Graham used to pay for both personal and business expenses from the late 1980s.

    In addition to Graham's personal history, the series also sheds light on the company's formative years through correspondence, costume and set designs, studio blueprints, business correspondence, and press material. The designs cover a dozen works including some of Graham's most notable dances such as Appalachian Spring, Lamentations, Visionary Recital, and Isamu Noguchi's set drawings for Seraphic Dialogue, including handwritten notes by the artist.

    There is a small compendium of writings that influenced Graham's ethos and choreography as well as books she had a hand in writing or inspired. Three books are signed by Louis Horst, long time musical director for the Martha Graham Dance Company. The book Martha Graham: Sixteen Dances in Photographs is signed by author Barbara Morgan and captures Graham's early works in black-and-white photography. Graham's autobiography Blood Memory is also included in a Russian translation.

    Finally, the series is rounded out by awards, certificates, and diplomas Graham received both throughout her lifetime and posthumously. Included in this file is Graham's 2015 induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame, honorary degrees from Wayne State and Brandeis Universities, and a New York State Senate proclamation honoring Graham's life and career.

  • Series II: Photographs
    1900-2010
    20.18 linear feet (50 boxes, 1 oversize folder)

    The Photographs series visually represents all aspects of the life of Martha Graham and the Martha Graham Dance Company from the early 1900s to the 2010s. The series is arranged into six subseries composed of visual documentation of Graham's dances; Graham's early life; headshots of individual dancers; contact sheets arranged by individual photographer; donated collections assembled by important figures within the company; and photographs from company-adjacent projects. The series contains various formats, the majority being photographic prints in varying sizes, in addition to negatives and contact sheets.

  • Series III: Touring Files
    1969-2011
    14.17 linear feet (34 boxes)

    The Touring Files series comprises administrative and business records about the company's extensive touring schedule, both nationally and internationally, from 1969 through 2011. The files from the late 1990s contain much more material than in earlier years, and there is a large amount of material from 2005, and no material from 2008 to 2010, with only two files from 2011.

    The files are arranged chronologically and subsequently denoted by the tour location. Researchers should note that files may contain material created before and after the booking date related to each tour stop. These include letters of introduction, financial summaries, and other pre- and post-performance arrangements. Types of records that frequently appear throughout the series consist of travel manifests; technical specifications, stage plans, and lighting plots; music cues; production schedules; venue financial agreements and facility questionnaires; correspondence; accommodation details; and program mock-ups. Records for tours outside of the United States are often in the language of the respective countries.

  • Series IV: Publications
    1945-2011
    1.75 linear feet (5 boxes)

    The Publications series primarily consists of small books created each season, arranged chronologically from the 1940s to the 2010s, by the Martha Graham Dance Company to highlight the individual dancers, provide insight into Graham's choreography, and share recent achievements and news. Throughout each book are images from performances as well as behind-the-scenes photographs of rehearsals and backstage goings-on. Most publications also include a message from Martha Graham, reviews by critics, essays by guest writers, and sponsored advertisements. Throughout the series are a small number of publications created specifically for overseas tours, exhibitions, and special performances such as Cercando Picasso which was choreographed by Graham. Another notable publication is a 1987 exhibition catalog titled "La Danza Moderna Di Martha Graham" (box 89, folder 8) which featured Halston's costume designs, Noguchi's set designs, and photo works by Imogen Cunningham.

  • Series V: Posters
    1954-2016
    0.91 linear feet (49 oversize folders, 1 tube)

    The Posters primarily represent Martha Graham Dance Company performances and special events, but also include posters for art exhibitions where the company or Graham herself was the subject. The posters, dated from 1954 through 2016, are arranged chronologically and vary in size. Notable artists contributing to these posters include Gilbert Lesser, Joan Miró, and Sandro Chia. The posters promote a plethora of events including limited engagement performances, seasonal repertoires, anniversary events, national and international tours, corporate sponsorships, and conferences. Of note is a poster design by Joan Miró for a 1975 production of Lucifer and a design by artist Sandro Chia for the 1991 Syracusa Fest in Italy.

  • Series VI: Performance Programs
    1931-1990
    14.0 linear feet (34 boxes)

    The Performance Programs represent the robust output of live performances by the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1931 to 2015. The programs are arranged chronologically and offer a significant historical record of Graham Company performances in the United States and overseas, the majority being in New York City. The series contains souvenir and house programs for Martha Graham Dance Company performances spanning over eight decades. These programs detail each performance's date and location, a roster of dancers, and the order in which each dance is performed. When applicable, a program will denote if a dance is a premiere.

  • Series VII: Audio and Moving Image Recordings

    The Audio and Moving Image recordings consist largely of performance and rehearsal footage for the Martha Graham Dance Company. There are also recordings of classes and performances by the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble and the students at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.

    Some of the most unique material are the series of studio workshops and rehearsals from the 1980s during which Martha Graham was choreographing some of her last pieces including Rite of Spring, Song, and Temptations of the Moon. During these studio sessions, it is possible to witness Graham's choreography technique and the collaboration between herself and her company members. There are also a large number of recordings from the summer of 1985 during the dance school's summer intensive program. It was not usual for these classes to be recorded and they are a rare insight into the dance school program which features members of the Martha Graham Dance Company as the instructors.

    In addition to the rehearsal and performance recordings, there are also news broadcasts and interviews, as well as short promotional videos for the dance school and company. Some of these items also include the unedited footage for the broadcasts.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Purchased from the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Inc. in 2020.

Processing information

Processed by Tara D. Strongosky in 2022.

Additional description of the Audio and Moving Image Recordings by Elise Rodriguez.

Related Material

Martha Graham Dance Company Records, (S) *MGZMD 152. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Martha Graham Dance Company Tour records, (S) *MGZMD 290. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Martha Graham legal papers, (S) *MGZMD 529. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Letters from Martha Graham to David Zellmer, (S) *MGZMD 117. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Using the collection

Location

Jerome Robbins Dance Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Access restrictions

Researchers must schedule an appointment in advance to view the Personal Artifacts in Series I. Audio and moving image recordings are unavailable for use pending preservation transfer. Inquiries regarding audio and moving image materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org). Audio and moving image materials will be subject to preservation assessment and migration prior to access.