Graham 100

Her students include the choreographers Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov are some of the dancers who turned to her for help in improving their practice, as did Kirk Douglas, Liza Minelli and Madonna... 
The American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, born in 1894, founded her first company just under a century ago, in 1926. This season we celebrate this centennial anniversary, with two programs paying tribute to the work of the woman Time Magazine named “Dancer of the Century” in 1998. Over the course of her long career, Martha Graham created 181 ballets, and her company - the oldest in the United States - continues to innovate, inviting contemporary choreographers such as Aszure Barton, Lucinda Childs and Mats Ek, among others, to create works for its 18 dancers selected from around the world. Two programs, presented in rotation, illustrate the dialogue that has gradually developed between repertoire and creation. The first, emblematic of Martha Graham's research into ancient Greek myths, consists of Cave of the Heart and Errand into the Maze. In parallel, Hofesh Shechter's Cave, set to the sound of techno music, questions the contemporary ritual of raves. The second program, composed of Diversion of Angels and Chronicle, proposes a reflection on love and war. Alongside these, Jamar Roberts' recent creation We the People showcases both American folklore and the American people.