A once in a lifetime performance: Martha Graham Dance Company on Bucharest stage

Thanks to JTI Encounters, one of the landmarks promoting contemporary dance in Romania for 19 editions now, the Romanian public had the opportunity to see the world leader in the evolving art form of modern dance by leveraging a legacy of innovation, the Martha Graham Dance Company.

By Oana Vasiliu

The Bucharest performance of Martha Graham Dance Company

Martha Graham, the most famous American dance company, brought to Bucharest five choreographic moments: Dark Meadow, Ekstasis, Lamentation – Variations, Errand into the maze and Woodland. The event was sold out and worth every penny.

The Dark Meadow suite is composed in 2016 from the elements of a longer work of Martha Graham, which premiered in 1946, in New York. Dark Meadow is inspired by the artist’s love for the rituals of the natives from south-western America and Mexico. Graham wrote about her own work: „Dark Meadow is a reconstitution of the mysteries accompanying the eternal adventure of the quest”, and the soundtrack composed by the Mexican composer Carlos Chavez for this choreographic moment essentially enhances this experiment.

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Ekstasis, created in 1933, is considered 37th creation of Martha Graham. Virginie Mécène, the programme manager of the „Martha Graham” Company, has reimagined the Ekstasis version which was featured in Bucharest, based upon the documentation of the original solo, including the photographs.

Lamentation – Variations was initially conceived in 2007, in order to commemorate the tragic events of September 11th. Although it was planned to be performed only once, the reception by the audience was so enthusiastic, that Lament – Variations has been added to the permanent repertoire of the Martha Graham Dance Company. The work, conceived by Janet Eilber, artistic director of the company, in collaboration with a group of choreographers, commences with a film by Martha Graham at the beginning of the forties. The variations have been created under specific creative conditions, each choreographer being invited to create a spontaneous choreographic sketch as a reaction to Martha Graham’s film. Other conditions imposed for the achievement of the work included 10 hours of rehearsals. The score is signed by Gustav Mahler, George Crumb and Frédéric Chopin.

Errand into the Maze premiered in 1947, with Martha Graham herself as protagonist, who retells, from Ariadne’s perspective, the myth of Theseus, who crosses the labyrinth in order to confront the Minotaur. The current production of the Errand has been recreated after the original sceneries and costumes have been partially destroyed by the Sandy Hurricane. This version, devoid of the elements of the classical production, is intensely focused on choreography.

Woodland was created in 2016 by choreographer Pontus Lidberg. „Using the music by Irving Fine as a starting point, instead of concept, I have heard the structure, as well as a possible imagery: the woodland, the moonlight and wandering creatures”, Lidberg explains his endeavour.

As everyone mentioned, recognized as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Martha Graham created a movement language based upon the expressive capacity of the human body. It all began in 1926 when Martha Graham started teaching a group of dancers who had been drawn to her creative work. Thus began the Martha Graham Studio, to remain under her personal guidance for the next 66 years.

In terms of creativity, Martha Graham crossed artistic boundaries and embraced every artistic genre. Biography says she collaborated with and commissioned work from the leading visual artists, musicians, and designers of her day, including sculptor Isamu Noguchi and fashion designers Halston, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein, as well as composers Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, William Schuman, Norman Dello Joio, and Gian Carlo Menotti. Moreover, she influenced generations of choreographers and dancers including Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp, Graham forever altered the scope of dance. Classical ballet dancers Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov sought her out to broaden their artistry, and artists of all genres were eager to study and work with Graham—she taught actors including Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, Madonna, Liza Minelli, Gregory Peck, Tony Randall, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, and Joanne Woodward to utilize their bodies as expressive instruments.

“Graham’s groundbreaking style grew from her experimentation with the elemental movements of contraction and release. By focusing on the basic activities of the human form, she enlivened the body with raw, electric emotion. The sharp, angular, and direct movements of her technique were a dramatic departure from the predominant style of the time. With an artistic practice deeply ingrained in the rhythm of American life and the struggles of the individual, Graham brought a distinctly American sensibility to every theme she explored”, notes the official website of the world famous dance company.

“A dance reveals the spirit of the country in which it takes root. No sooner does it fail to do this than it loses its integrity and significance,” she wrote in the 1937 essay A Platform for the American Dance.

Martha Graham created 181 masterpiece dance compositions, which continue to challenge and inspire generations of performers and audiences. In 1986, she was given the Local One Centennial Award for dance by her theater colleagues, awarded only once every 100 years, and during the Bicentennial she was granted the United States’ highest civilian honour, The Medal of Freedom. In 1998, TIME Magazine named her the “Dancer of the Century.” The first dancer to perform at the White House and to act as a cultural ambassador abroad, she captured the spirit of a nation and expanded the boundaries of contemporary dance. “I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer,” she said. “It’s allowing life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable.”

Today, the Martha Graham Dance Company continues to foster Graham’s spirit of ingenuity. It is embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists inspired by Graham’s legacy. With programs that unite the work of choreographers across time within a rich historical and thematic narrative, the Company is actively working to create new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.

Photos courtesy of JTI / Silviu Pavel