IU staff to perform original dances for ‘Graham’

Dancers in dark gray bodysuits enter the stage, reflecting light off of the mirrors pinned to their costumes.

“This one is meant to be funny,” said Elizabeth Shea, coordinator of the IU Contemporary Dance Program.

The dancers twist their bodies in ways that are not often associated with classical dance.

“They are taking the classical form, stretching it out and ... finding the joy,” Shea said of the “3 Epitaphs” dress rehearsal. “Some of the movements are very tongue-and-cheek.”

Shea has been working for a year to put together “The Legacy of Graham,” a concert in which the works of modern dance pioneers and IU faculty are showcased and celebrated.

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday in the Ruth N. Halls Theater.

Martha Graham, for whom the concert is named, was considered the “first lady of modern dance” when she began choreographing in 1935, Shea said.

“She had a vision that really set the stage for our field to grow for many years to come,” Shea said, “and modern dance has changed a lot since then.”

Selene Carter, production coordinator of the performance, said Graham’s “Panorama” will be supplemented by two master works from Paul Taylor: “Aureole”  and “3 Epitaphs.”

Carter said that Taylor, another modern dance pioneer, was once a student of Graham and later formed his own dance company.

In this way, showcasing his performances is a way to pay homage to Graham.
The concert will premiere the original works of IU faculty members, which also honor Graham.

Shea is presenting two pieces titled “The Mo(u)rning” and “These Hands.”
“I put ‘The Mo(u)rning’ together using Graham’s choreographic methodologies in regard to time and stage space,” Shea said.

The piece opens in the present, moves to the past and finishes in the future, she said.
“It’s her response to Graham’s legacy,” Carter said.

Carter is also showcasing a piece that she choreographed titled “Imago.”

“As choreographers, we have to let our work go and give it to them,” Carter said. “They bring so much to the process, and they really get to come into their own. ... It’s very joyous and exciting because the dancers really rise to the occasion.”

Senior Esther Widlanski has performed in the annual concert for four years and will be the sole dancer in “These Hands.”

“Every time you perform as a modern dancer in a modern dance context, you consider the legacy that you’re a part of,” Widlanski said. “This is just more overt in the way that you can really feel the traditions that have been passed down by really great, really wonderfully talented people.”