The Martha Graham Dance Company was in our hall last night, and what a beautiful performance they put on.
It was a unique program that included video, pictures and narration by the Artistic Director, Janet Eilber. For someone who was not well-versed in Martha Graham's history, or dance in general, having Janet on-stage discussing Graham's life, her work and her impact was a wealth of resource and knowledge. Eilber made the show that much better. It was fascinating to have film and pictures from Graham's career, dating back to the early 1920's, played during the performance.
The New York Times published an article on another dance legend, ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov, and how he recently donated a large collection of film, pictures and other memorabilia to the New York Public Library. Baryshnikov has worked with many of the great choreographers of our time, including Martha Graham. There is actually a film in his donated collection of a time he performed for Graham. It will be interesting to see how Baryshnikov's collected works might be put to use in the future, as Graham's are - being used to facilitate the performance and enlighten a whole new generation.
Read the complete New York Times article here.