Martha Graham in Asia
In November 1955, as fears intensified that Asian nations might turn Communist, the State Department sent Martha Graham (1894–1991) and her dance company on a performance and lecture tour of sixteen Asian cities. Although modern dance was unfamiliar to most of her audiences, the State Department judged the tour an overwhelming success. “The uniquely American aspect of her art,” the American Embassy in Tokyo reported, “was eloquent ideological testimony of America’s cultural depth and vitality.”
In November 1955, as fears intensified that Asian nations might turn Communist, the State Department sent Martha Graham (1894–1991) and her dance company on a performance and lecture tour of sixteen Asian cities. Although modern dance was unfamiliar to most of her audiences, the State Department judged the tour an overwhelming success. “The uniquely American aspect of her art,” the American Embassy in Tokyo reported, “was eloquent ideological testimony of America’s cultural depth and vitality.”