The revolutionary Martha Graham Dance Company—the oldest modern dance ensemble in the country—returns to the Center for the Arts with a program that showcases the company’s legacy through iconic classics and new work. The evening opens with a special performance of one of Graham’s earliest works, Steps in the Street, danced entirely by students of the Mason Dance Company. Next members of the Martha Graham Dance Company perform Agnes de Mille’s tour de force, Rodeo. Set to music by famed American composer Aaron Copland, Rodeo broke ground in 1942 by including tap dance and indigenous folk dance alongside classical ballet. Next on the program is a new commission by acclaimed choreographer Jamar Roberts, featuring music by multi-instrument virtuoso and two-time GRAMMY winner Rhiannon Giddens. This special preview of the work is the week before the company’s official world premiere at New York City Center. The program concludes with the joyful Maple Leaf Rag, Graham’s 180th (and last) choreographic work, created at the age of 96. Experience the company The Washington Post called “one of the seven wonders of the artistic universe” in an evening that illuminates artistic impulses to connect to our past, present, and future.
