the dances of American Indians and other primitive peo- ples, Graham stressed constant motion in her performances and avoided the fixed positions and poses of classical ballet. Standardizing her repertoire of movements in a training regimen (the "Graham tech- nique") allowed her to pass on her style to disciples, establishing a per- manent alternative to ballet.
"I don't want to be understandable, I want to be felt," Graham de- clares. Her chief principle is that dancing expresses...