22 Feb 2004. Graham was the pioneer of American modern dance; the style which she developed is sharp and angular. The most distinctive movement in her technique is the contraction and release, which was the result of her observations on breathing. In the 1920s she and her dancers created new movements for new subject matter, reflecting their own era rather than a previous one. Graham gave her first performance in 1926 and continued to direct and choreograph her company until her death in 1991. The long span of her career set the pace for the establishment of modern dance as a valid, independent art form.