Martha Swope, famed photographer of some of the nation’s top dancers and actors, was born February 22, 1928, in Tyler, Texas.
A graduate of Baylor University and the American School of Ballet, Swope began her career as a dancer, but began taking amateur photos of rehearsals as early as in 1955. One day in 1957, her interest in photography blossomed when choreographer Jerome Robbins invited her to shoot a day of rehearsals for West Side Story.
Swope soon became one of the most prolific photographers of Broadway theatre rehearsals, productions, and publicity shoots for almost 50 years, including A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, and Annie — to dance productions by the New York City Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
