"Every sound has its own form, its own weight and definition," stressed Spanish dance maker Nacho Duato by telephone last week. "The ballet is already there in the music; you just have to look for it.

A recent biography dives into the choreographer's role as both an artist and figure of early American modernism. Martha Graham performing in 1962. (Photo by Jack Mitchell / Getty Images) Martha Graham ...

“Who’s Martha Graham?” After hearing the question for the third time, I figured that I should stop taking it for granted that everyone just knew. Widely considered the mother of modern dance — and ...