ABSTRACT
Scholars today have another major source of Graham's creative life, the Notebooks, published and unpublished, which she kept during her choreographic career. Nolini Barretto's essay provides the historical background for those reading about Graham's early years, and also elucidates the references which inspired Graham's intellect and imagination. Going back even further, Mark Wheeler's paper provides the background for Graham's fascination with the East, sparked by her contact with Ruth St. Denis. Ideas prevalent in American intellectual and artistic thought were carried to great heights once tempered by Graham's creative energy.
