Martha Graham in Lisbon
As the first dancer to represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador, Martha Graham (1894–1991) continued State Department-sponsored tours for many years. In 1966, her Clytemnestra was performed for a huge audience in Lisbon, whose wild acclaim became for Graham “the culminating moment of my life and career.” President Ford (1913–2006), whose wife Betty (b. 1918) had studied with Graham, awarded Graham the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor and the first to go to a dancer.
As the first dancer to represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador, Martha Graham (1894–1991) continued State Department-sponsored tours for many years. In 1966, her <em>Clytemnestra</em> was performed for a huge audience in Lisbon, whose wild acclaim became for Graham “the culminating moment of my life and career.” President Ford (1913–2006), whose wife Betty (b. 1918) had studied with Graham, awarded Graham the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor and the first to go to a dancer.