Nov 13
After 20 Year Absence, Martha Graham Dance Company Returns to Boston Next Week
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After nearly two decades, the seminal company founded by the late dance legend Martha Graham returns to Boston during the company's centennial celebration. The Martha Graham Dance Company makes a special appearance Friday, November 22 and Saturday, November 23 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre as the first event in the Celebrity Series of Boston's 2024/25 Season Dance Series.
The company will perform four pieces in its Boston engagement, including the 1930 Graham work "Lamentation," music by Zoltán Kodály, whose angular movements inside a stretch-fabric cocoon have for decades been the signature visual mark of the choreographer's groundbreaking work. "Dark Meadow Suite," a collection of highlights from Graham's 1946 work "Dark Meadow," features music by Carlos Chavez. Close Graham friend and collaborator Agnes de Mille's "Rodeo" is also on the program, with its timeless music by composer Aaron Copland reorchestrated for a six-piece bluegrass ensemble by Gabe Witcher. The three mid-20th century dances are joined by "We the People," a new work commissioned by the company from choreographer Jamar Roberts. "We the People" includes a commissioned score by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and American roots musician Rhiannon Giddens, also arranged by Witcher.
All four pieces will be presented in both performances, Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 pm and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 pm. Information and tickets are available at celebrityseries.org/graham. [*Note: Haze will be used during "We the People."]
"We are honored to bring the legacy of this titanic artistic force back to Boston audiences this fall," says Celebrity Series of Boston Artistic Director Nicole Taney. "Martha Graham is one of a small handful of formidable names associated with the development of modern dance in the 20th century. Dance aficionados and casual observers alike know about her influence on the artform; this is a rare chance to experience the company and its work in person."
Martha Graham presented her first performance with a supporting group of dancers on April 18, 1926. Since that date – considered the launch of the Martha Graham Dance Company – Graham's groundbreaking and uniquely American style of dance has influenced generations of artists and captivated audiences worldwide.
To mark its coming centennial year, Artistic Director Janet Eilber says the company is embracing "a broader canvas than one season can provide," and embarking on a three-year celebration (2024-2026) including world tours, a public television documentary, and a variety of other programs. The program the Company brings to Boston is organized under the theme "American Legacies," which focuses on Graham's social activism, her embrace of Americana and modernism, and her artistic collaborators.
"The 100th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company is more than a red-letter day for Graham," says Executive Director LaRue Allen. "The entire field of American modern dance has reason to celebrate. In an art form known for its ephemeral nature, the continuing success of the Graham Company shows that modern dance can be sustained, that it can evolve and remain relevant to successive generations."
