Focusing his efforts on propelling the modern dance movement, he greatly influenced the careers of dancers such as Martha Graham.
Martin was born June 2, 1893, in Louisville, Kentucky, and was immediately influenced by his mother's love of musical theatre.
[3] Over the years, Martin developed an interest in the actor/director/drama teacher Konstantin Stanislavsky's system which expressed the "dramatic impulses that arise within"[4] Many have claimed that Stanislavsky's ideas influenced Martin's interest in modern dance because it displays this quality.
Following a series of Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis Carnegie Hall performances, petitions began to arise in favor of dance critics in New York news papers.
His efforts brought modern dance to a level equal in stature and independent of music and theatre within the arts.
[2] Towards the end of his life, Zachary Solov Archived 2011-04-11 at the Wayback Machine, a dancer-choreographer, invited Martin to share a house in Saratoga Springs, New York.
[15] Perhaps this is because Martin was developing his methodology and used Graham as a focal point for "diagramming and disseminating the form and function of the modern dance.
Martin was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame in 1988.