Article
Sokolow, Anna (1910–2000) By Kosstrin, Hannah
Article
In her seventy-year career, Anna Sokolow contributed to dance fields in the United States, Mexico, and Israel. A child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Sokolow rose to prominence in the 1930s as a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and as an independent choreographer of her own leftist dance group. She infused her formalist compositions with substantive accusations against authoritarian power structures, highlighted Jewish themes, gave voice to underserved populations and marginalized countercultures, and composed lyrical love ballads and tributes to artists and social figures she esteemed. Sokolow’s early choreography exposed societal ills and indicted fascist governments.