The Second Generation
*Martha Graham
*Doris Humphrey
*Charles Weidman
*Honya Holm
*Lester Horton
*Katherine Dunham
Martha Graham
 Born
in 1891, passed away in 1991
 Danced and choreographed for over 70
years
 Married to Erick Hawkins, another pivotal
male dancer
 Trained
with Denishawn
 Invented
and evolved her own rigorous
technique
 CONTRACT AND RELEASE
 Dances were introspective and concerned
with human emotions
 Dances also included mythological
concepts and heroic quests
 Merce Cunningham, Madonna, and
Woody Allen have taken class from her
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http://www.portlandart.net/archives
/martha_graham_Kick.jpg
“Dance is the hidden language
of the soul.”
“I am absorbed in the magic of
movement and light.
Movement never lies. It is the
magic of what I call the outer
space of the imagination. “
Source:
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/
qu_graham_m.htm
Doris Humphrey
 Born
in 1895, passed away in 1958
 Trained with Denishawn, broke away from
the company with Charles Weidman
 Considered one of the greatest
choreographers of the 20th century
 Wrote the book The Art of Making Dances
 Approach to dance- belief in the bodies
ability to communicate
 FALL AND RECOVERY
http://www.dancehelp.com/phot
os/humphrey.jpg

“There are movements
which impinge upon the
nerves with a strength
that is incomparable, for
movement has power to
stir the senses and
emotions, unique in
itself.”

Source:
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/dor
is_humphrey/
Charles Weidman
 Born
in 1901, passed away in 1975
 Trained with Denishawn
 Wanted to break free from traditional
movements
 Helped create dance styles that “give into
natural gravity”
 Wanted to break the image of dancers
flying in the air
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http://www.willametteweek.com/
events/photos/619.jpg
His company trained Jose
Limon and Bob Fosse
“His passion, influence
and ideas have had an
incredible influence on
the way movement is
studied and created
today.”
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha
rles_Weidman
Honya Holm
 Born
in 1893, passed away in 1992
 Originally from Germany
 Trained with Mary Wigman, German
Expressionist
 Founding artistic director of Bennington
College, which became American Dance
Festival
 Emphasized
freedom of the torso
 Portraying idea more important than
technique
 Felt if you worked hard enough you could
achieve anything
http://www.dancehelp.com/pho
tos/hanya%20holm.jpg

“You have a perfect
right to branch out, if
you have the stuff in
you, if you discover
your own richness, if
you have something
to say.”

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Hanya_Holm
Lester Horton
 Born
in 1906, passed away in 1953
 Created own company in 1932 in
California
 Incorporated elements of Native American
dance and modern jazz dance
 Taught Alvin Ailey
Katherine Dunham
 Born
in 1909, passed away in 2006
 Had one of the most successful dance
careers in American and European in the
20th century
 Created the Katherine Dunham company
 Did a great deal of work for theater and
movies as well
 Innovator
for African American modern
movements and Dance Anthropology
 Known for fusing Caribbean style into her
movement
 Movement style: polyrhythmic
 Performed dancing folklore
http://www.voiceofdance.com/i
mages/HPImage/vodimages/k
atherine_dunham_3web.jpg

“A creative person
has to create. It
doesn't really matter
what you create. “

Source:
http://www.brainyquot
e.com/quotes/authors
/k/katherine_dunham.
html
Sources
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Graham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Humphrey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Weidman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanya_Holm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Dunham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Horton