마사 그레이엄의 1940년대 극무용에 나타난 안무성향 연구

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of Martha Graham’s choreography through the focused review of her dance works, especially, “The Theaters of Martha Graham”, in the 1940’s, which was her heyday. Even though several studies on Martha Graham and her works have been made, there has been no study on her way of choreography, which should be a core element of her dance works in the 1940’s. By thorough review and analysis of her way of choreography shown in her peak’s dance works, this study is to help the dancers and choreographers to understand her works and widen their understanding of her way of choreography. Martha Graham has brought her dance techniques to perfection through making expressions for the human being’s emotion into unique and creative movements. Based on her own techniques, her choreography is shown in her dance works in the 1940’s have the characteristics as follows; First, themes of her dance works in that period mostly came from American legends and Greek mythology. Second, she used newly composed music for themselves rather than taking existing music. Therefore She could lead her expressive work with dramatic music. Third, she increased dramatic effects of her dance works by setting up the unique stage, taking good use of its characteristics. Fourth, she created a new genre, that is so-called dance drama or dance theatre. Fifth, she accomplished her own unique dance techniques and created movements requisite for her dance works. Her dance style expressed impulsions of that times and could be represented as fierce and absorbing uniqueness, which led to creation of her peculiar dance theory, that is ‘contraction and relaxation.’ Her dance works were broken away from the traditional and typical formalism and instead were based on her own movement language. This study presents the possibility to properties of dramatic dance.