Martha Graham Dance Company Celebrates GRAHAM100 With Studio Series Events

The Martha Graham Dance Company's 2024-25 Studio Series, part of the Company's GRAHAM100 celebration, will feature several GrahamDeconstructed events, which offer audiences an opportunity to view the great Graham classics up close and to hear about the artistic and historical context of their creation from Artistic Director Janet Eilber.

There will also be two special events focusing on Martha Graham and design, a discussion/ demonstration on the Company's recent experiments with technology, a preview of Lloyd Knight's The Drama, and a Graham 2 Family Matinee.

All Studio Series events will take place at the Martha Graham Studio Theater, 55 Bethune Street, 11th Floor, in Manhattan.

Tickets are $30 (general) / $20 (students). Tickets for the family matinee on December 14 are $10 for children under 12. Tickets for the special events on November 12 and 13 are $60/ticket and $100 for a pair. Studio Series subscriptions are $150 for six events (excluding the November special events), and include VIP seating.

Those unable to attend in person can join the Company's digital membership for $20/month at patreon.com/marthagrahamdance, which includes Studio Series live streams and much more! To purchase tickets for Studio Series events, visit marthagraham.org/studioseries/.

2024-2025 Studio Series Schedule

Tuesday-Wednesday, October 1-2, at 6pm

Open Rehearsal: Dark Meadow Suite and We the People

Step into the studio for rehearsals of Dark Meadow Suite, a Graham classic from 1946, and We the People, a work created for the Company by choreographer Jamar Roberts in 2024. Context for these works of 20th- and 21st-century Americana will be provided by Artistic Director Janet Eilber and the dancers as they prepare to perform these dances for audiences across the country.

Tuesday, November 12, at 7pm

Special Event: Martha Graham and Halston – The Original Celebrity Collaboration

Co-hosted by Gabriel Hendifar, Artistic Director of the international interdisciplinary design studio APPARATUS, with Graham Artistic Director Janet Eilber, this special event features dancing, media, and an insider's look at the Graham/Halston friendship. The evening will include special guests, remembrances about Graham and Halston from those who were in the room, and Company dancers performing Graham choreography in costumes created by Halston. Several archival Halston costumes will also be on display. Audience members are invited to stay for wine and conversation with the experts after the event!

Wednesday, November 13, at 7pm

Special Event: Martha Graham, Isamu Noguchi, and American Modernism

Graham, Noguchi and their indelible, ongoing influence on contemporary design will be at the center of this gathering. Using archival media and featuring special guests from the world of design, the evening will look at how these 20th-century geniuses continue to resonate in today's design world. Dancing by the Company will give an inside look at how the iconic Noguchi sets are integrated into the Graham choreography. The event is co-hosted by Gabriel Hendifar, Artistic Director of the international interdisciplinary design studio APPARATUS, and Graham Artistic Director Janet Eilber. Audience members are invited to stay for wine and conversation after the event, where they will be able to view and photograph several Noguchi set pieces up close!

Friday, December 13, at 7pm, Saturday, December 14, at 6pm

Sneak Preview: Lloyd Knight's The Drama

Martha Graham Dance Company leading dancer Lloyd Knight shares a preview of The Drama, an intimate and personal solo inspired by his time as an artist, and the women in his life, his mother and Martha Graham. This spoken and danced monologue is written and performed by Knight with choreography by Knight and Jack Ferver, and video design by Jeremy Jacobs.

Saturday, December 14, at 2pm

Graham 2 Holiday Event 

Martha Graham Dance Company's Second Company will present a special holiday performance suitable for all ages. Crafts and snacks for the younger set will be part of this family matinee, as well as a photo session with the dancers.

Tuesday-Wednesday, January 7-8, at 7pm 

GrahamDeconstructed: Cave of the Heart

A look at how Graham's vision and choreography came together with a remarkable set design by Isamu Noguchi and a score by Samuel Barber to create a modernist masterwork that transforms the ancient legend of Medea. The evening includes a rehearsal of the entire work, including its iconic set, which will be available for audience members to explore and photograph at the end of the program.

Tuesday-Wednesday, February 25-26, at 7pm 

GrahamDeconstructed: Deaths and Entrances

Enter into Graham's Victorian-era psychodrama from 1943 and learn about the groundbreaking theatrical techniques she pioneered for this work of genius abstract expressionism. Based on the Brontë sisters and celebrating the idea of individual empowerment, Deaths and Entrances will be part of the Company's season at The Joyce Theater in April. Commentary and archival film clips will provide context before a rehearsal run-through of the dance.

Tuesday-Wednesday, March 18-19, at 7pm

NEW@Graham: Graham and Tech

A conversation about the Company's ongoing interest in technology, especially in light of the incredible possibilities offered by artificial intelligence, virtual reality, motion capture, and other new discoveries. Dancers and technicians will be on hand to demonstrate some of the Company's recent experiments, including a 360-degree vision of the Night Journey chorus and a new work by choreographer Darshan Singh Bhuller, who regularly incorporates technology into his choreography. The conversation will ask whether tech can be used in new ways for preserving dance, whether it can be artistically expressive, and how we can use these discoveries to take dance into the future. 

Tuesday-Wednesday, May 6-7, at 6pm

Open Rehearsal: Immediate Tragedy, Diversion of Angels, CAVE

Join the Company for an open rehearsal of dances that are traveling to five cities in Spain.  Graham's powerful solo Immediate Tragedy from 1937, and her lyrical Diversion of Angels (1948) will be presented, as well as the irrepressible CAVE by Hofesh Shechter. A Q&A with the dancers will add extra context from the true insiders!

About the Martha Graham Dance Company

The Martha Graham Dance Company has been a leader in the evolving art form of modern dance since its founding in 1926. It is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company.

Today, the Company is embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. With programs that unite the work of choreographers across time within a rich historical and thematic narrative, the Company is actively working to create new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.

Since its inception, the Martha Graham Dance Company has received international acclaim from audiences in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The Company has performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, Covent Garden, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as at the base of the Great Pyramids in Egypt and in the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus theater on the Acropolis in Athens. In addition, the Company has also produced several award-winning films broadcast on PBS and around the world.

For more information about the Company, visit www.marthagraham.org.