Sokolow's Lineage

Anna Sokolow was born on February 9, 1910, in Hartford, Connecticut. Her parents were immigrants from Pinsk, Russia and like many other immigrants in the early 1900s; they had a difficult time adjusting to American life. At ten years old, Anna and her older sister Rose started taking dance classes sponsored by the Emanuel Sisterhood of Personal Service. The dance they learned was interpretive dancing influenced by dance pioneer Isadora Duncan. Anna stated that she quickly “fell madly in love with dancing.”

When Anna reached fifteen years old, she had already learned everything she could from her teachers at the Sisterhood. The sent her to continue her training at the Neighborhood Playhouse, one of the first major “Off-Broadway” theaters. At this age, Anna had already moved out of her house and dropped out of school. She supported herself by working in factories. In 1928, the Playhouse opened into a professional School of the Theater. Dancer Martha Graham and composer Louis Horst revolutionized the dance training at the Playhouse.

Sokolow finished her training at the Playhouse and joined Martha Graham’s company in 1929 at 19 years old. For the next decade Sokolow studied and danced with Graham in some of her most influential works like Primitive Mysteries (1931) and Celebration (1934). Graham and Sokolow had a difficult relationship because they had different focuses in concert dance. Sokolow wanted to explore her own Russian-Jewish background and Graham was consumed with finding the American form of dance. In approximately 1938, Anna Sokolow left the Graham Company with a bit of tension; however, she maintained her relationship with Louis Horst who was the most influential figure in her dance development. He encouraged her to explore her own ideas and she often look to him for approval.

"From the very first day I studied with Louis Horst, I knew that for me, it wasn't just enough to be a soloist. His way of working introduced us to music. Because you know a lot of dancers don't know anything about music, to this day. They hear it, it goes in one ear and out the other. But this man made us aware of the significance and the beauty of music, all kinds of music.

"Even today I think, 'Would Louis Horst like this? Would Louis Horst like this?' He had impeccable taste, and he was probably one of the most truthful people in the dance world. He never, never lied. He was never polite, but he was noble."

Sokolow became a strong figure in the “radical dance movement” and searched for a new revolutionary approach to concert dance. She found inspiration in cultural events and created dances to provoke societal change. Through her dramatic works, Sokolow aimed to inspire the audience to resolve crises such as the Depression, World War II, and fascism. Her pieces also explored Jewish history and their strength and courage during the Holocaust.

"Most people feel that have to 'fix' a dance, they have to make it 'neat.' No-it's better to have disordered life, but to have life. The modern dance is an individual quest for an individual expression of life."