Martha Graham Dance Company's GRAHAMFEST95 Now Available On Demand

The Martha Graham Dance Company's virtual 95th Anniversary Festival, which premiered April 30-May 2, is now available on demand through September 6, 2021. GrahamFest95 features Martha Graham classics alongside works by contemporary choreographers Kyle Abraham, Sir Robert Cohan, Elisa Monte, Richard Move, Nicolas Paul, and Troy Schumacher.

GrahamFest95 also includes a collaboration with international art gallery Hauser & Wirth, which pairs works by Graham and Robert Cohan with four acclaimed visual artists--Rita Ackermann, Mary Heilmann, Luchita Hurtado, and Rashid Johnson.

The Company is also offering a special Summer Series of four Martha Matinees. The series kicks off on June 12 with About the Martha Graham Technique featuring short films that relate to Graham's revolutionary physical vocabulary. The July and August matinees will feature full-length, restored archival films of Appalachian Spring and Every Soul is a Circus featuring Martha Graham, Erick Hawkins, Merce Cunningham, and other legendary dancers from the original casts. In September, the Company will screen a stunning 2016 performance of Night Journey annotated with descriptions written by Graham as she created the dance. All Martha Matinees include a live chat with Artistic Director Janet Eilber, Archives Director Oliver Tobin, and special guests.

GrahamFest95 is available on-demand at marthagraham.org/grahamfest95. Each program is $20 and is available to watch for 30 days starting the day of purchase. Martha Matinees are available via Patreon at marthagraham.org/patreon.

GrahamFest95 Programs - Available now through September 6

The EVE Project

Deep Song by Martha Graham, performed by Leslie Andrea Williams

Immediate Tragedy by Martha Graham, performed by Anne Souder

Spectre-1914 by Martha Graham, performed by Natasha M. Diamond Walker

Satyric Festival Song by Martha Graham, performed by Xin Ying, artwork by Mary Heilmann

Treading by Elisa Monte, performed by Charlotte Landreau and Lloyd Knight

Conversation with Janet Eilber and Elisa Monte

Past/Present

Two excerpts from Communion by Robert Cohan, performed by Laurel Dalley Smith and Lloyd Mayor

Lorenzo from Afternoon Conversations with Dancers by Robert Cohan, performed by Lorenzo Pagano

Lloyd from Afternoon Conversations with Dancers by Robert Cohan, performed by Lloyd Knight, artwork by Rashid Johnson

Conversations of Lovers by Martha Graham, performed by Xin Ying and Lloyd Knight

Lamentation Variations by Kyle Abraham (performed by Lloyd Knight and Lloyd Mayor), Richard Move (performed by So Young An), and Nicolas Paul (performed by Anne O'Donnell, Anne Souder, and Leslie Andrea Williams)

Other Spaces

Saraband by Martha Graham, performed by Xin Ying and Lloyd Knight, artwork by Luchita Hurtado

Immediate Tragedy by Martha Graham, performed by Xin Ying, artwork by Rita Ackermann

My River Runs to Thee by Martha Graham, performed by Anne O'Donnell

Moon by Martha Graham, performed by So Young An and Jacob Larsen

Duet from The Auditions by Troy Schumacher, performed by Marzia Memoli and Lorenzo Pagano

Treading by Elisa Monte, performed by Charlotte Landreau and Lloyd Knight

Martha Matinees - Summer Series

Saturday, June 12, 2:30pm

About the Martha Graham Technique featuring four short films

A Dancer's World directed by Nathan Kroll (1958; excerpt)

Martha Graham Teaching from The MacNeil/Lehrer Report from 1984

Ritual to the Sun from Acts of Light with members of the Graham Company from 1984

Today's Graham Company in a rehearsal run-through of Ritual to the Sun from 2021

Saturday, July 10, 2:30pm

Appalachian Spring-A screening of films celebrating the iconic 20th-century masterwork

Aaron Copland talks about Appalachian Spring

Appalachian Spring at 75: a montage of generations of dancers performing the work

A complete performance of Appalachian Spring by the original cast. This is a silent film to which a later recording of the Copland score has been added.

Saturday, August 7, 2:30pm

Every Soul is a Circus

The complete Every Soul is a Circus starring Martha Graham, Erick Hawkins, and Merce Cunningham. A recording of Paul Nordoff's score has been added to this beautifully restored silent film from the 1940s.

Saturday, September 11, 2:30pm

Night Journey

A 2016 performance of Night Journey starring Blakely White-McGuire and Lorenzo Pagano.

This full-length performance will be captioned with descriptions by Martha Graham, written as she created this dance.