As the company approaches its 100th anniversary, it continues to exemplify its founder’s timeless and uniquely American style of dance, one that has influenced generations of artists and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Martha Graham is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century, alongside Pablo Picasso, Virginia Woolf, Igor Stravinsky, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Graham radically expanded the dance vocabulary, rooting it in social, psychological, and sexual ideas and forever altering the scope of the art form. These performances will include a new work choreographed by Jamar Roberts, resident choreographer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and set to music by Rhiannon Giddens. The dance will be paired with Agnes de Mille’s 1942 classic Rodeo; its iconic score by Aaron Copland has been reorchestrated for a bluegrass ensemble, offering an expanded view of our cultural history and the influence of Black artists on American music and dance forms. Martha Graham’s final complete work, Maple Leaf Rag, rounds out the program.

PROGRAM
Rodeo — The Courting at Burnt Ranch (Choreography by Agnes de Mille / Music by Aaron Copland in a new bluegrass arrangement by Gabe Witcher)
New Work (Jamar Roberts / Rhiannon Giddens)
Maple Leaf Rag (Martha Graham / Scott Joplin)