MARTHA GRAHAM (1894–1991) has had a deep and lasting impact on American art and culture. She single-handedly defined contemporary dance as a uniquely American art form, which the nation has in turn shared with the world. Crossing artistic boundaries, she collaborated with the leading visual artists, musicians, and designers of her day, including sculptor Isamu Noguchi and composers Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Gian Carlo Menotti. Graham’s groundbreaking style grew from her experimentation with the elemental movements of contraction and release. The sharp, angular, and direct movements of her technique were a dramatic departure from the predominant style of the time. During her long and illustrious career, Graham created 181 dance compositions. To find out more click here.
Photo credit: Kate Reyes and Jared Stern in Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring, by Melissa Sher
GRAHAM 2 is the performing group of the Martha Graham School. Its mission is to bring the Graham tradition to smaller venues, younger audiences, and cultural communities, and to be a springboard for young dancers to enter the professional dance world. Under the direction of Virginie Mécène, Graham 2 Company performs Graham’s repertory as well as works of guest choreographers such as Robert Battle, Pascal Rioult, Kun-Yang Lin, Robert Cohan, Darshan Singh Bhuller, Blanca Li, and Adam Barruch. Committed to its education outreach program, Graham 2 performs for more than 3,000 public school children each year. For more information about the group click here.
