body,” she concluded. Virginie Mécène reimagined this version of Ekstasis
based on the sparse documentation of this original solo, which included
a few photos by Soichi Sunami and Barbara Morgan.
WOODLAND (2016)
Using Irving Fine’s music as my point of departure, rather than using a
concept, I heard structure as well as possible imagery: woodland, moonlight
and wandering creatures. I wanted to interact with the music, not
just impose choreography on it, so I chose to reorder the movements
and add a repeat, turning a linear work into one that is almost cyclical—a
structure that I’ve explored continuously in my compositions. I also often
take inspiration and impetus from the dancers, and the Graham dancers
have been a generous and inspiring group of collaborators. Woodland
was developed in collaboration with these dancers. In the end, as in many
of my works, the individual is a counterpoint to the group—somewhat
isolated and looking for the means to connect with others, all the while
remaining separated on a singular trajectory. —PONTUS LIDBERG
CHRONICLE (1936)
Chronicle premiered at the Guild Theater in New York City on December
20, 1936. The dance was a response to the menace of fascism in Europe;
earlier that year, Graham had refused an invitation to take part in the
dance in Germany at the present time. So many artists whom I respect
and admire have been persecuted, have been deprived of the right to
work for ridiculous and unsatisfactory reasons, that I should consider it
impossible to identify myself, by accepting the invitation, with the regime
that has made such things possible. In addition, some of my concert
group would not be welcomed in Germany” (a reference to the fact that
many members of her group were Jewish). “Chronicle does not attempt to
show the actualities of war; rather does it, by evoking war’s images, set
forth the fateful prelude to war, portray the devastation of spirit which
it leaves in its wake, and suggest an answer.” This is one of the very few
dances Martha Graham made which can be said to express explicitly political
ideas, but, unlike Immediate Tragedy (1937) and Deep Song (1937),
dances she made in response to the Spanish Civil War, this dance is not
a realistic depiction of events. The intent is to universalize the tragedy of
war. The original dance, with a score by Wallingford Riegger, was forty
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phe: Spectre–1914 and Masque,” “Dances after Catastrophe: Steps in the
Street and Tragic Holiday,” and “Prelude to Action.” The Company has reconstructed
and now performs “Spectre–1914,” “Steps in the Street” and
“Prelude to Action.”
ABOUT MARTHA GRAHAM
Martha Graham has had a deep and lasting impact on American art and
American art form, which the nation has in turn shared with the world.
Crossing artistic boundaries, she collaborated with and commissioned
work from the leading visual artists, musicians, and designers of her day,
48 | CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER: 2018-2019 SEASON PROGRAM: SPRING