Documentaries, coffee table books, international tours and opera partnerships are among the many tributes to the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrating its 100th anniversary beginning this fall.
In 1926, 31-year-old pioneering choreographer Martha Graham founded a dance company and school while living and working in a one-room apartment in Midtown Manhattan. America’s oldest dance troupe, which has been around for nearly a century, will be commemorated with a three-season celebration, the company announced Wednesday.
“The company has been part of the American story for 100 years. It took at least three seasons to dive into that world,” said artistic director Janet Eilber. “We want to make the classics of modern dance accessible to audiences in a new way, and to help them perceive it as relevant to themselves and our contemporary times.”
The lineup, which begins in September, will be divided into three parts, with each theme “highlighting the era the company has been through,” Ailber said.
In the 2023-24 season of American Legacy, classics such as “Appalachian Spring” (1944), “Dark Meadows” (1946) and “Maple Leaf Rag” (1990) , focusing on Graham’s social activism, Americana, and modernism.
The company will also present a new production of Agnès DeMille’s “Rodeo” (1942) with Aaron Copland’s score, which the composer will re-arrange for a six-piece bluegrass ensemble. Gabe Witcherand Jamar Roberts’ new production, scored by Rhiannon Giddens, will run alongside Rodeo at the New York City Center (April 17-24) and as part of the touring season.
The 2024-25 season of Dances of the Mind focuses on Graham’s psychological work and his long-standing artistic partnership with visual artist Isamu Noguchi.Appeared in works such as “Paidra” (1962), errand to the labyrinth (1947), Herodiad (1944).
In the 2025-26 season of “The Masterpiece,” we consider the question, “What is an American?” From Graham’s 1939 work “American Documentary”. His repertoire includes Cave of the Mind (1946), Night’s Journey (1947) and Primitive Mystery (1931), among other commissions.
Other projects associated with the anniversary include a three-season collaboration with the Long Beach Opera that explores the connection between dance and opera. A documentary in development with PBS about the current company, scheduled to air in the 2025-26 season.Book by Deborah Ory and Ken Brower NYC Dance ProjectIt will feature the Graham Dancer today and archival photographs from the past 100 years, and will be published in Fall 2025.
“Today people should expect to see the most expressive and powerful dancers in the world,” Ailber said of the multi-year schedule. “Today the dancers on stage are stunningly beautiful and kick off the celebration in a way that is integral to the dance itself.”
