Martha Graham in Le Sacre du Printemps (1930)

Graham was propelled into international fame when she starred in the first American production of the work choreographed by Léonide Massine and conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

Photograph of Martha Graham dancing the role of the Chosen One in The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) which was presented at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and in Philadelphia, April 1930.

In her autobiography she noted:
"When you have to do the same movement, do not get bored with yourself, just think of yourself as dancing toward your death. In the The Rite of Spring, when I danced the Chosen One, as I did so many continuous times, and came to the moment of finality, I thought of my rebirth."

Photograph by the White Studio from the Arthur Todd Collection