RI.2 Martha Graham

Which sentence best supports the central idea that Martha Graham was an innovator?

• “In 1926, Martha formed her own dance company, the now-famous Martha Graham

  School for Contemporary Dance.”

• “She developed a fresh, new method of muscle control she called ‘contraction and

  release.’”

• “Her search led her to a job teaching at the Eastman School of Music, where she had

  complete control over her classes and the dance program.”

• “While there was some room for creativity, she still had to please the audience.”

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How did Martha Graham's background influence her approach to dance?

  

• Her athletic childhood pushed her towards sports-inspired choreography

• Her experience in vaudeville shows made her prioritize audience entertainment

• Her early ballet training led her to focus on traditional techniques

• Her father's medical practice inspired her to express internal emotions through movement

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. How did Martha Graham's "contraction and release" technique differ from traditional dance methods?

   

• It relied heavily on classical ballet positions

• It combined relaxation with intense muscle control

• It emphasized smooth, flowing motions

• It focused on fluid, graceful movements

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Which detail shows how Martha Graham’s dance style was received by audiences?

• "Her search led her to a job teaching at the Eastman School of Music."

• "Martha also believed in the body’s ability to express what is inside."

• "During her first performance in Paris, she and her dancers were booed by the audience."

• "She continued teaching and creating works until her death in 1991."

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What is the main purpose of paragraph 6?

"Martha felt that classical ballet focused too much on fluidity and grace and ignored deeper, darker

emotions and themes. At Eastman, Martha began to use jerky, trembling movements and falls to express ideas

and feelings. She developed a fresh, new method of muscle control she called “contraction and release.”

Through this method, a dancer creates movement by first contracting a muscle and then allowing the

movement to flow as the muscle relaxes. This method of muscle control gives the dancer’s motions a hard,

angular look. This was a big change from the dance style found in classical ballet."

• To detail the critical reception of Martha Graham’s performances.

• To highlight Martha Graham’s accomplishments at the Eastman School of Music.

• To describe the specific technique that made Martha Graham’s dance style different from classical ballet.

• To explain why Martha Graham left the Denishawn School.

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What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?

"Martha was an athletic child, but it wasn’t until after seeing the ballet dancer Ruth St. Denis in her

teens that she became interested in dance. Martha was so inspired by the performance that she enrolled at an

arts college where she studied theater and dance. After graduating in 1916, she joined the Denishawn School,

a dance company founded by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn to teach both American dance and world dance."

• To show how Martha Graham was inspired by Ruth St. Denis and began her dance training.

• To explain why Martha Graham decided to attend arts college.

• To introduce Martha Graham’s interest in theater and music.

• To highlight Martha Graham’s early struggles in finding her place in the dance world.

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What is the purpose of paragraph 9 in the development of the text?

"Many of Martha’s dances explored emotional and psychological themes. One example is her solo

piece “Lamentation.” In this dance, a grieving figure sits alone on a bench and moves to a mournful piano

score. The dancer wears a tube of stretchy, purple fabric. Only the dancer’s head, hands, and feet show. The

movements of the dancer’s body within the fabric create a sort of moving sculpture. The dancer represents the

raw emotions of grief."

• To provide background on Martha Graham’s solo piece “Lamentation.”

• To illustrate how Martha Graham used modern music in her performances.

• To describe how Martha Graham’s dances often addressed emotional and psychological themes.

• To explain the role of Louis Horst in Martha Graham’s career.

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What is the main purpose of paragraph 7?

"Audiences did not always appreciate Martha’s style. They were used to the more graceful, flowing

motions of ballet dancers, and Martha’s choppy, angular style was shocking to them. Many reviewers

criticized her for dancing in an “ugly” way. During her first performance in Paris, she and her dancers were

booed by the audience."

• To show that Martha Graham’s style of dance was not immediately accepted by all audiences.

• To describe Martha Graham’s first job after leaving Denishawn.

• To explain how Martha Graham became one of the best performers at Denishawn.

• To highlight the positive critical reception of Martha Graham’s performances in Paris.

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Which detail best shows how Martha Graham’s choreography conveyed emotions?

• "Martha began to use music by modern composers, rather than music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries."

• "Martha’s father specialized in nervous disorders and was interested in how illnesses could be revealed through body movement."

• "In 'Lamentation,' a grieving figure sits alone on a bench and moves to a mournful piano score."

• "In this ballet, Martha played the role of an Aztec maiden attacked by an Aztec emperor."

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Which detail shows that Martha Graham’s work explored political themes?

• "Martha continued teaching and creating works until her death in 1991."

• "She began to use music by modern composers, rather than music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries."

• "Her dance 'Deep Song' was a statement about the Civil War in Spain."

• "Martha’s dances explored emotional and psychological themes."

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