Why did Martha Graham’s dances use angular movements and flexed feet?

Martha Graham’s use of angular movements and flexed feet was a deliberate departure from the aesthetics of classical ballet, intended to express the raw, inner emotional life of her characters rather than provide decorative or graceful displays.12

By utilizing jagged phrases, contorted limbs, and flexed feet, Graham sought to reveal the "inner man" and explore primal human emotions, including passion, frustration, and conflict. Unlike ballet, which often strives to conceal the physical strain of dancing and defy gravity, Graham’s technique emphasized the body's weight and the struggle against physical limitations. These movements were designed to evoke a visceral response from the audience, with the angularity and dislocations serving as expressive gestures that mirrored the intensity of human experience. Her choreography, which often centered on muscular contractions and releases originating in the pelvis, prioritized emotional truth over traditional beauty, even when such movements appeared stark or "ugly" to contemporary critics.12