born May 11, 1894, Allegheny county, Penn., U.S.
died April 1, 1991, New York, N.Y.
U.S. dancer, teacher, choreographer, and foremost exponent of modern dance .
She studied from 1916 with Appalachian Spring (1944); other works include Primitive Mysteries (1931), El Penitente (1940), Letter to the World (1940), Cave of the Heart (1946), Clytemnestra (1958), Phaedra (1962), and Frescoes (1978). She collaborated for many years with Louis Horst, her musical director, and with Isamu Noguchi , who designed many of her sets. She retired from dancing in 1970 but continued to teach and choreograph. Her technique became the first significant alternative to classical {{link=ballet">ballet , and her influence extended worldwide through her choreography and her students.