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In a sun-soaked studio in Manhattan, members of the Martha Graham Dance Company (all women) lie on the floor with their feet and heads hovering off the ground. Choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith encourages the dancers to be unapologetic about being looked at as their bodies begin to tremble with exhaustion and they move into a […]
As you assemble your gratitude list for this Thanksgiving, stop and consider some of the works that paved the way for the diverse dance world we enjoy today. Whether they introduced a radical new style of movement, controversial subject matter or a particularly poignant message, these five works broke choreographic barriers and have withstood the […]
Martha Graham was the “Mother of Modern Dance,” influencing generations of dance artists with her incomparable choreography and technique that featured the pioneering concept of contraction and release. But did you know… 1. Graham frequently created her own costumes. In a 1989 interview, Graham commented, “Dance is theater and larger than life. Makeup and costume, […]
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Damian Woetzel’s leadership at the Vail International Dance Festival, a new four-day event will be held in New York City, November 3–6. Vail Dance Festival: ReMix NYC brings three programs to New York City Center, along with a special lecture/demonstration focused on footwork, hosted by Woetzel. Featured performers include: […]
For 12 years, Italian choreographer Caterina Rago studied Graham technique with Elsa Piperno at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome. Piperno taught her to be comfortable taking risks. “She encouraged us to push beyond our limits to understand what our limits were. I remember her saying, ‘Even if you fall on the floor, you know […]
Martha Graham (left) “Great dancers are not great because of their technique. They are great because of their passion.” —Martha Graham “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on Earth and it is yours for the taking” —Agnes de Mille “Art is the […]
Graham principal Blakeley White-McGuire in costume for Cave of the Heart At the 2015 Harkness Dance Festival at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, audiences can delve into the creation of Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart. The Martha Graham Dance Company will perform March 13–15 as part of the festival’s Stripped/Dressed performance […]
Sections of Fall to Rise were filmed at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City. The impending retirement of New York City Ballet’s 46-year-old star Wendy Whelan (who this morning announced her final performance date), has, over the past few months, sparked many discussions about the inevitable impact of age on a dance career. Fall […]
Your browser does not support the video tag. Jacqulyn Buglisi was a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance company for 12 years. In 1993, she co-founded Buglisi Dance Theatre. She is the chair of the Graham-based modern department at The Ailey School, where she has been teaching for more than 25 years. Here, student […]
Choreographer Elisa Monte knows firsthand how important it is to get to class as a dancer. In her late 20s, Monte–who is now the artistic director of her own company, Elisa Monte Dance–became a devotee of Maggie Black’s ballet class in New York City, squeezing it in between her rehearsals with the Martha Graham Dance […]