The Martha Graham Dance Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 1 at the IU Auditorium.
Since its founding in 1926, the Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest dance company in America and has been a world leader in modern dance.
Martha Graham, the dance company’s founder, is recognized as one of the most revolutionary artistic forces of the 20th century along with Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Her creation of the iconic Graham Technique, a distinctive modern movement style, along with numerous artistic works, has catapulted the company into worldwide acclaim by audiences in more than 50 countries.
Graham helped start numerous dance companies, including the Juilliard School in New York City and the Batsheva Dance Company in Tel-Aviv. Having collaborated with artists such as fashion designer Halston and composer Aaron Copland, her influence has extended beyond the world of dance and well into the arts in general.
Principle dancer Xin Ying joined the company in 2011. Ying said she feels a certain level of responsibility to carry on Graham’s legacy.
“If you name all the choreographers today, nearly everyone has been inspired by Martha Graham in some way,” Ying said. “Martha Graham’s influence has provided the foundation for dance.”
The Martha Graham Dance Company will perform four pieces at the IU Auditorium. The program will begin with one of Graham’s classic works: 1948’s “Diversion of Angels.”
Ying will perform the second piece, “Immediate Tragedy,”, an anti-Spanish Civil War solo first choreographed in 1937. “Immediate Tragedy” was one of Graham’s many lost works that were only recently recovered.
The third performance is a new contemporary work that premiered in 2021 by choreographer Andrea Miller called “Scavengers,” Ying said. The show will then end with one of Graham’s more recent works from 1981, “The Act of Light.” This piece will be led by Ying.
“This whole program is very grand,” Ying said.
Student ticket pricing starts at $15. Regular ticket prices start at $23. Tickets can be purchased on the IU Auditorium website.
