131 years ago today, May 11, 1894 (April 7, 1894, lunar calendar), Martha Graham, one of the earliest founders in the history of modern American dance, was born. American female dancer, choreographer, teacher and theorist. One of the founders of American modern dance. Born in Pittsburgh on May 11, 1893, he studied dance at Cannock School in Los Angeles after graduating from high school. Entered Dennis in 1916? Shaun Dance School further studied and became Dennis? Actor of Sean's Dance Company. In 1923, he joined the Greenwich Village Light Song and Dance Troupe. In 1924, he went to teach at Eastman School of Music in New York, and also engaged in contemporary dance creation. In 1926, the first independent dance performance was held in New York. Her early modern dance works were not welcomed and even received severe criticism and censure. The main works of this period include "Three Girls of the Gobi"(1927). In 1927, she founded her own modern dance school in New York, cultivating and educating a large number of outstanding actors and teachers, such as M. Cunningham, P. Taylor, etc. In 1929, she selected a group of outstanding students to form her own dance troupe to perform travel across the continental United States, but it was still not understood and accepted by people. In 1935, her masterpiece "Frontier" came out, marking her creative maturity. In his creative practice, Graham gradually explored and formed a complete set of systematic modern dance techniques and training methods. This technique is characterized by focusing on people's spinal activities. The movements are mainly about contraction and extension of the trunk, and the limbs are extended outward. In particular, it creates and develops the technique of undulating on the ground. She believes that dance is not only a narrative means, but also expresses the spiritual and emotional essence of people, revealing the "inner person". Her works have a wide range of themes and genres, ranging from solo dance sketches to large-scale dance dramas. The works are either based on ancient Greek and Roman mythology, religion, and folklore, or based on real life in the United States. In addition, there are also abstract interpretations of music. She had the cooperation of Japanese sculptor Isamu Noguchi in stage art, and boldly used three-dimensional sculptural sets to replace traditional sets. As an important representative of modern dance, she has had a significant influence on the creation and performance of modern dance, musical comedies, operas, even movies and television. Graham announced his retirement from the stage in 1969, but continued to write and create dance, including helping foreign dance troupes choreography. She has won the 1956 Dance Mixed Award, the 1960 Capezio Award, the 1965 Poplar Award and the 1976 Virtue Award. In 1966, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of art from Harvard University. In 1973, her book Martha Graham Notes was published. In 1976, a complete set of her works was published, including 150 works created during her nearly 60-year artistic career. Among them, the famous ones are Spring in the Appalachian Mountains (1944), Journey in the Night (1947), Clemenza (1958), The Myth of Journey (1973), and Dream.