100 years! Very few performance troupes can say they’ve been around for a century. The Martha Graham Dance Company is in an elite class, and the achievement is not just longevity, but also influence. TIME magazine named Martha Graham ‘Dancer of the Century,’ and People magazine named her among the female ‘Icons of the Century.’ She created 181 ballets and her approach to dance and theater revolutionized the art form and her innovative physical vocabulary has irrevocably influenced dance worldwide.
Martha Graham began her dance career in the 1920s in Los Angeles, so welcoming the company back here to further that legacy seems like a natural fit. In fact, over the past decade, The Soraya and Martha Graham Dance Company have built a lasting and creative relationship which includes three new creations, performances with live music lead by Christopher Rountree, and a vast sampling of some of the most innovative and memorable choreography of the 20th century.
It was only fitting that the company would open its 100th season here at The Soraya. What an honor for us! Once again, it will include live music and a world premiere, with choreography by Hope Boykin and music arranged by Christopher Rountree. For Graham and dance enthusiasts, this performance provides the opportunity of a lifetime. For newcomers, it is an auspicious occasion that will surely launch a lifetime appreciation for dance and American ingenuity in the field.
Artistic Director Janet Eilber, one of our nation’s treasures among arts leaders, shares details of the milestone performance in this video interview.
Gratefully,
Upcoming Performances
About Director Selects
The Director Selects series is a sequence of interviews shared by The Soraya on Fridays throughout the year. Each features an exclusive interview with an artist who will perform in the season or a behind-the-scenes video, and a note from Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber. All is done to give patrons a look behind-the-curtain so they can better understand the collaboration between the artist and The Soraya that goes into each performance.