Martha Graham was one of the most famous dancers in the United States. Her dances looked so realistic and motionless. The expressions on her face moved smoothly along with her incredible dances.

Martha Graham was born on May 11, 1893 in Pittsburgh, Pennysylvania. Graham attended a Los Angeles recital by the dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis. This was the first dance performance of any kind that Graham has ever seen and it made her feel so good. Once she sat near a lion's cage and watched it pace back and forth from side to side.  She thought she could move that way.

In 1916 she joined the Denishawn School and became so good at performing that Ruth St. Denis (the school's director) let Martha lead a dance. At 22 she found out what her destiny was, to be a dancer.

Martha started her own dance company in New York City in 1929, The Martha Graham Dance Company. In 1935 she started a school of modern dance at Bennington College. Her methods are taught today in school around the world.

She is famous for her leadership in modern dance. She retired as a dancer in 1970 but continued to choreograph dances. Choreography is when you plan a dance. She was still choreographing dances at the age of 90. She died in New York City on April 1, 1991. (Martha husband was Erick Hawkins.)