[3] Anna Sokolow was born on February 9, 1910, in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Intending to reside in Hartford, Connecticut, Samuel and Sarah eventually moved to New York City for better job prospects.

Anna Sokolow was the third child of four born to Samuel and Sarah, preceded by Isadore and Rose, and succeeded by Gertie.

[5] Sokolow began her dance training by taking classes at the Emanuel Sisterhood alongside her sister Rose.

Despite the objection of her family, Sokolow moved away from home and dropped out of school in favor of a dance career at age 15.

She began training under Irene Lewisohn, Louis Horst, and Martha Graham, among others, at the Neighborhood Playhouse at the Henry Street Settlement in 1925 as a “Junior Player.” Blanche Talmud, Sokolow's main teacher, had a background in Delsarte and Dalcroze eurhythmics.

Alongside her work with the Martha Graham Company, Sokolow began choreographing and offering solo performances in 1932.

[10] In programs for “Dance Unit”, Anna Sokolow's name wasn't emphasized in order to bring more attention to the group as opposed to certain individuals.

[11] In 1936, a full evening of her own work was presented at the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) in New York City.

With the addition of men, Sokolow avoided dividing movement based on gender and instead presented all bodies as equals.

[13] During this time period, she performed and choreographed both solo and ensemble works, which tackled subject matter that included the exploitation of workers and growing troubles of Jews in Germany.

[15] In the 1940s, Sokolow continued premiering works in various venues throughout New York City, such as The Bride (1946), a piece influenced by traditional elements from Orthodox Jewish wedding ceremonies.

Labanotation scores show the similarities, including the use of strong accents and the dropping of the body and its parts to the floor, which created a jaded, teenage mood.

[19] In the later 1960s, Sokolow used jazz style to protest the war occurring in Vietnam and to give voice to the countercultures of America.

[20] In the 1970s and 80s, Sokolow's artistic focus turned to the great painters, writers and composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After that point, the company's former co-artistic directors, Jim May and Lorry May, formed separate institutions to maintain Sokolow's repertory and legacy.

Sokolow also frequently staged works for the New York City Opera, including multiple productions in their 1956 season.

After her dancers left to return to New York City, Sokolow chose to stay behind to continue working at the request of the Ministry of Public Education.

Sokolow also worked alongside Robert Lewis as a teacher at the Repertory Theater at Lincoln Center and the HB Studio.

[21][30] Nicknamed modern dance's "rebellious spirit",[4] Sokolow won a variety of awards including the Samuel Scripps Award (1991), Aztec Eagle Honor (1988), an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Boston Conservatory (1988), and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from the Ohio State University (1978).

[9] In 1967, she received a prestigious grant from the National Council on the Arts, worth $10,000; Sokolow used this funding to create Deserts (1967).

Sokolow was inducted into the Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame in 1998, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1993.

[31][32] Sokolow dedicated her works to her inspirations including Isadora Duncan, Louis Horst, Anne Frank, José Limón, Vaslav Nijinsky, Martin Luther King Jr., and her parents.