Martha Graham Dance Company

Janet Eilber, artistic director

It is impossible to overstate Martha Graham’s influence on dance in the past century. Her distinctive, groundbreaking movement technique has been carried in dancers’ bodies for generations; the works she commissioned have grown and multiplied over hundreds of performances; and her contributions to the art of stage design and dance production are countless.

As early as the 1930s, the members of her company reflected diverse cultural backgrounds, and Graham’s commitment to experimentation and attention to contemporary social, political, psychological, and gender issues has forever altered the scope and direction of the art form.

The extraordinary Graham company returns to Cal Performances for the first time in more than a decade to celebrate its 100th anniversary with classic Graham works such as the iconic Appalachian Spring, the psychological thriller Night Journey, and the anti-war protest Chronicle—all featuring Isamu Noguchi’s original sets—alongside newly commissioned dances by some of today’s most compelling choreographers. Saturday evening’s performance features a new work by the in-demand choreography team of Baye & Asa, created in response to Graham’s seminal war protest, Cortege of Eagles. And Sunday’s matinee includes the Bay Area premiere of En Masse by Ailey alum Hope Boykin, as well as Jamar Roberts’ We the People, a collaboration with roots musician Rhiannon Giddens that explores rage and resistance.

“I wanted to begin not with characters or ideas, but with movements…I wanted significant movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge.” —Martha Graham

The February 15th performance is made possible in part by Beth DeAtley.