Martha Graham: yoga, and Indian dance

Kakali Paramguru

doi:10.5209/anha.99631

Martha Graham: yoga, and Indian dance

Kakali Paramguru Independent researcher https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5194-7662

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/anha.99631

Keywords: Indian ideas, Kundalini yoga, bhakti (devotion), liberation, orientalism

Abstract

This paper examines Martha Graham's early engagement with Indian and Indian-derived ideas, which she initially received from her mentor, Ruth St. Denis. Subsequently, as documented in her Notebooks, Graham engaged with various Indian writings likely inspired by St. Denis that continued beyond the Denishawn period and enriched her understanding of Indian philosophies and aesthetics, serving as a meaningful source of inspiration for her choreographies. I study the interplay between Graham and Indian dance, which is best understood through the impact of yoga on her technique and its role in integrating Indian aesthetics into her later choreographic dramaturgy, as documented in her Notebooks.

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2025-10-17

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Paramguru K. (2025). Martha Graham: yoga, and Indian dance. Anales de Historia del Arte, 35, 319-339. https://doi.org/10.5209/anha.99631

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