Martha Graham Dance Company to Present Two Graham Studio Events This January

In January, the Martha Graham Dance Company will present two events as part of its Graham Studio Series offering audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the work of both the Company and Graham 2 in the intimate setting of its West Village studios.

The NEW@Graham event on January 10 will offer a sneak peek at choreographer Virginie Mécène's new work for Graham 2. This season's GrahamDeconstructed event will take place on January 16 and 17, and will feature the Graham Company in a rehearsal showing of Martha Graham's highly physical and primal The Rite of Spring. Both programs start at 7pm.

Virginie Mécène has been commissioned to create a new dance to music by composer Tom Hormel. Hormel's eclectic and colorful music reminded Mécène of the cultural diversity of New York City and she was inspired to create a work that weaves together stories of people in the big city. Entitled A New Place, the work explores themes of displacement, culture shock, diversity, and loneliness, as well as love, togetherness, and community. NEW@Graham will feature a work-in-progress showing of A New Place before it premieres in January in Key West, FL, accompanied by the South Florida Symphony.

The GrahamDeconstructed event will feature the Graham Company in Graham's stunning 1984 work, The Rite of Spring. The hour-long event will include some of the backstory of the creation of The Rite of Spring as well as an up-close rehearsal run-through of the work before the Company takes it on tour around the world.

Tickets for NEW@Graham are $20 (general) / $10 (students) in advance and $25 / $15 at the door. Tickets for GrahamDeconstructed are $25 (general) / $15 (students) in advance and $30 / $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at www.marthagraham.org or by phone at 866-811-4111. The Martha Graham Studio Theater is located at 55 Bethune Street (11th floor) in Manhattan.

The Martha Graham Dance Company has been a leader in the development of contemporary dance since its founding in 1926. 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, 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 Herod Atticus Theatre on the Acropolis in Athens. In addition, the Company has also produced several award-winning films broadcast on PBS and around the world.

Led by Director Virginie Mécène since 2007, Graham 2 is a pre-professional dance company comprised of the most advanced students of the Martha Graham School. Its mission is to bring the Graham tradition to a younger audience, smaller venues, and cultural communities. It performs Graham classics alongside new works by a range of today's choreographers and is a springboard for young dancers to enter the professional dance world. For more information about the Company, visit www.marthagraham.org.