Martha Graham Dance Company
Electrifies City Center in
The Program: The Sacred/The Profane
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| Martha Graham's Ekstasis |
The Martha Graham Dance Company's latest program, The Sacred/Profane, electrified the house at City Center this evening in performances including two of her classic works, "Ekstasis" and "Rite of Spring." Although Graham herself did not not wish her dances to be called "ballets," the word is used repeatedly in reference to her work in the program notes of her new company. In the words of Richard Howard, "The Great Dead are among us, and they are working with us, not against us." We must revere the Great Dead, but we need not fear them.
"Ekstasis" premiered in 1933 and was reimagined by Virginie Mécène, Program Director, in 2017. It features a single female dancer wearing a bright white gown designed by Graham herself. In reference to this ballet, she is quoted as having said, "The body is a sacred garment." Costume becomes a metaphor for the profound experience granted humanity through the physical ritual of life. The dancer's gown is made of a form-fitting, reptilian fabric that functions as a second skin, allowing her to respond fully to the plaintive call of Lehman Engel's score, a lonesome prairie song complete with the rattle of hollow drums and the eerie cry of woodwind instruments. In this contained and intense work, Graham endows the female dancer with a sensuality that transcends time, leading us back to our primordial roots.
Anne Souder cuts a compact powerhouse of a figure as she explores the extremes of contrapposto, her white, ankle-length gown dazzling the eye as she explores her environment. She moves with a pliant grace, her fingers held together in the shape of a spade, digging deeper and deeper into the recesses of time as she navigates dimensions of feminine mystery. Whether Souder is thrusting her hips sideways in a deep plié, circling the space with one outstretched foot, rising from the ground in a plunging back bend or allowing the bare rod of her arm to quiver in climax as it dangles from her shoulder, she manipulates the surrounding space, looming progressively larger in the course of her exploration. By the completion of the ballet, her singular white figure seems to fill the perimeters of the square, flat backdrop of the stage and glows in the dark. The relative intimacy of City Center perfectly supports this; I cannot imagine how this piece would play in a larger space, such as the Koch Theater.
Martha Graham's version of "Rite of Spring" premiered in 1984, just a year after George Balanchine's passing. He once said that Stravinsky's score was so complex that it was impossible to create a satisfactory ballet to it. Nevertheless, at the age of 89, Graham managed it. The timing seems significant. Balanchine was no longer around to judge Graham's work. Did his absence give her the freedom she needed to take on such a monumental task? To imagine that these giants were unaware of each other is like believing that Russia and the United States have no relationship.
Stravinsky composed the score with a primitive Lithuanian folk tale in mind. It tells the story of an isolated village in the mountains in which the sacrifice of a virgin is carried out annually with the return of spring in order to appease the gods. The set design, by Edward Morris, includes a large white back drop with a thick, roughly-painted black band arching over the stage that represents the earth. In addition to black and white, the muted palate of the set and costumes has undertones of blue and gray, underscoring the bleakness of the primitive world. His score is indeed complex, but in the hands of the Mannes Orchestra, led by Maestro David Hayes, conveys both the elation, terror and viable hysteria of a primitive people shocked by the return of the sun in spring and consumed by their immediate desire to communicate their gratitude to the gods. The best way to demonstrate this is the offering of a female virgin's life, the most valuable asset that they possess. Filled with determination, tribal villagers set about selecting a virgin and preparing her for sacrifice. The members of tribe know the ropes; although the selection process is made to seem impersonal and random, it is carried out with vigor, concentration and a sense of purpose. Underneath everything they do pulses a palpable and overwhelming sense of fear. The Chosen One, danced by Peiju Chien-Pott, and The Shaman, danced by Ben Shultz, are in polar opposition, yet their relationship is a gentle one due to their understanding of the inevitability of ritual sacrifice. The Shaman presides over the Dance of Death, an altogether different affair from the one that arose from Medieval European folklore. The Chosen One is led through various stages meant to prepare her for her final moment on earth. Any violence is acted out symbolically; the pain and anxiety evident in the music makes it seem tangible enough. In the end, The Chosen One will carry out her Sacrificial Dance upstage in front of The Shaman. It is a tour de force that is one of the most balletic solos that Graham ever composed. Balletic because it uses both highly formalized steps and fluid, graceful movement in its evocation of the intensity of the character's experience.
Stravinsky delineates thirteen parts of the score that lead up to the Sacrificial Dance of The Chosen One. They are: 1) A Kiss of the Earth; 2) The Augurs of Spring, the Dances of the Young Girls; 3) Ritual of Abduction; 4) Spring Rounds; 5) Ritual of the Two Rival Tribes; 6) Procession of the Oldest and Wisest One; 7) (The Kiss of the Earth) The Dancing Out of the Earth; 8) The Second Part, The Exalted Sacrifice; 9) Mystic Circle of the Young Girls; 10) The Naming and Honoring of the Chosen One; 11) Evocation of the Ancestors; 12) Ritual Action of the Ancestors; 13) Sacrificial Dance; (The Chosen One). Simply perusing this list creates a sense of the overwhelming nature of the task that burdens the collective: As the ballet unfolds we experience the hyperactivity, confusion and internal hysteria of the tribes of natives who carry out this ritual. An absolute necessity, it is both a demanding and barbarous rite. A compelling beat attempts to assuage the emotional horror that continually mounts; at times it spikes the pressure to new heights of terror and fright. Stravinsky tugs on the strings of the unconscious; it is impossible to listen to this score without being alternately moved--frightened, horrified, elated and inspired. The same is true of the drama that Graham constructs in response to it.
From the beginning, we see a great deal of skin on stage as massive groups of tribesmen respond to the crisis. Choruses of men appear bare chested in short, black trunks. They are followed by maidens in pale blue and gray sarong-skirts who wear nude mesh tops as they dance across the stage in linear fashion. Graham beautifies them by borrowing the two-dimensional movement Vaslav Nijinsky used in "Afternoon of a Faun" to characterize their dancing. Only The Shaman is covered; he wears a variety of long, flat robes that stretch to the ground and cover his arms. Occasionally we are allowed a glimpse of his arms. Peiju Chien-Pott, long-limbed and reed like, the most beautiful of all of the maidens, navigates her fate without self-pity while simultaneously displaying a tangible sense of fear. With dark, limpid eyes, classic features and long, black mane of hair that hangs nearly to her waist, she is an unusually fierce and feminine presence onstage. Her counterpart is embodied in the total power and dignity of Ben Schultz, who guides her through the ritual sacrifice with composure and quiet authority. At full maturity, Shultz's sculpted physical prowess as a dancer is something to behold. The shape of the rounded dip of the long head of the medial brachii of his upper arms seems to underscore the effortlessness he has achieved at this stage of his rule over the tribesmen. In general, the male dancers of the company have well-developed bodies.They look absolutely stunning. More often than not, this is the trend in modern dance in America, while the reverse can be said to be true in classical ballet. Even if a male dancer is not tall he can still go to the gym.
Graham's use of dancers in "Rite of Spring" is sensual and compelling, bringing the audience into immediate proximity with a multitude of images, naked torsos, bare legs and arms flashing by as male and female dancers stream on and off stage. They leap and crouch over and under each other in massive, rigorous formations. The degree of vigor in their movement increases with the increased anxiety in the score. The fear evoked is that of the collective, not solely that of The Chosen One. Her plight is impersonal, but it is a matter of life and death. The ritual must be carried out properly or it will not be taken seriously by the gods.The plaintive melody repeated as the collective carries out the sacrifice expresses the terrible helplessness the natives feel about what they do. They understand that the sacrifice is absolutely necessary but its execution is inherently abhorrent to them. In these miraculous strains of music, Stravinsky captures the essence of human survival.
At the end of the ballet, Graham carefully avoids confusing the sacrifice of The Chosen One with the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Chosen One mounts a ramp upstage on her back, her body stretched out on an incline. This is the most exciting evening in the theater I have had in years.
"Ekstasis" premiered in 1933 and was reimagined by Virginie Mécène, Program Director, in 2017. It features a single female dancer wearing a bright white gown designed by Graham herself. In reference to this ballet, she is quoted as having said, "The body is a sacred garment." Costume becomes a metaphor for the profound experience granted humanity through the physical ritual of life. The dancer's gown is made of a form-fitting, reptilian fabric that functions as a second skin, allowing her to respond fully to the plaintive call of Lehman Engel's score, a lonesome prairie song complete with the rattle of hollow drums and the eerie cry of woodwind instruments. In this contained and intense work, Graham endows the female dancer with a sensuality that transcends time, leading us back to our primordial roots.
Anne Souder cuts a compact powerhouse of a figure as she explores the extremes of contrapposto, her white, ankle-length gown dazzling the eye as she explores her environment. She moves with a pliant grace, her fingers held together in the shape of a spade, digging deeper and deeper into the recesses of time as she navigates dimensions of feminine mystery. Whether Souder is thrusting her hips sideways in a deep plié, circling the space with one outstretched foot, rising from the ground in a plunging back bend or allowing the bare rod of her arm to quiver in climax as it dangles from her shoulder, she manipulates the surrounding space, looming progressively larger in the course of her exploration. By the completion of the ballet, her singular white figure seems to fill the perimeters of the square, flat backdrop of the stage and glows in the dark. The relative intimacy of City Center perfectly supports this; I cannot imagine how this piece would play in a larger space, such as the Koch Theater.
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| Martha Graham's "Rite of Spring" |
Martha Graham's version of "Rite of Spring" premiered in 1984, just a year after George Balanchine's passing. He once said that Stravinsky's score was so complex that it was impossible to create a satisfactory ballet to it. Nevertheless, at the age of 89, Graham managed it. The timing seems significant. Balanchine was no longer around to judge Graham's work. Did his absence give her the freedom she needed to take on such a monumental task? To imagine that these giants were unaware of each other is like believing that Russia and the United States have no relationship.
Stravinsky composed the score with a primitive Lithuanian folk tale in mind. It tells the story of an isolated village in the mountains in which the sacrifice of a virgin is carried out annually with the return of spring in order to appease the gods. The set design, by Edward Morris, includes a large white back drop with a thick, roughly-painted black band arching over the stage that represents the earth. In addition to black and white, the muted palate of the set and costumes has undertones of blue and gray, underscoring the bleakness of the primitive world. His score is indeed complex, but in the hands of the Mannes Orchestra, led by Maestro David Hayes, conveys both the elation, terror and viable hysteria of a primitive people shocked by the return of the sun in spring and consumed by their immediate desire to communicate their gratitude to the gods. The best way to demonstrate this is the offering of a female virgin's life, the most valuable asset that they possess. Filled with determination, tribal villagers set about selecting a virgin and preparing her for sacrifice. The members of tribe know the ropes; although the selection process is made to seem impersonal and random, it is carried out with vigor, concentration and a sense of purpose. Underneath everything they do pulses a palpable and overwhelming sense of fear. The Chosen One, danced by Peiju Chien-Pott, and The Shaman, danced by Ben Shultz, are in polar opposition, yet their relationship is a gentle one due to their understanding of the inevitability of ritual sacrifice. The Shaman presides over the Dance of Death, an altogether different affair from the one that arose from Medieval European folklore. The Chosen One is led through various stages meant to prepare her for her final moment on earth. Any violence is acted out symbolically; the pain and anxiety evident in the music makes it seem tangible enough. In the end, The Chosen One will carry out her Sacrificial Dance upstage in front of The Shaman. It is a tour de force that is one of the most balletic solos that Graham ever composed. Balletic because it uses both highly formalized steps and fluid, graceful movement in its evocation of the intensity of the character's experience.
Stravinsky delineates thirteen parts of the score that lead up to the Sacrificial Dance of The Chosen One. They are: 1) A Kiss of the Earth; 2) The Augurs of Spring, the Dances of the Young Girls; 3) Ritual of Abduction; 4) Spring Rounds; 5) Ritual of the Two Rival Tribes; 6) Procession of the Oldest and Wisest One; 7) (The Kiss of the Earth) The Dancing Out of the Earth; 8) The Second Part, The Exalted Sacrifice; 9) Mystic Circle of the Young Girls; 10) The Naming and Honoring of the Chosen One; 11) Evocation of the Ancestors; 12) Ritual Action of the Ancestors; 13) Sacrificial Dance; (The Chosen One). Simply perusing this list creates a sense of the overwhelming nature of the task that burdens the collective: As the ballet unfolds we experience the hyperactivity, confusion and internal hysteria of the tribes of natives who carry out this ritual. An absolute necessity, it is both a demanding and barbarous rite. A compelling beat attempts to assuage the emotional horror that continually mounts; at times it spikes the pressure to new heights of terror and fright. Stravinsky tugs on the strings of the unconscious; it is impossible to listen to this score without being alternately moved--frightened, horrified, elated and inspired. The same is true of the drama that Graham constructs in response to it.
From the beginning, we see a great deal of skin on stage as massive groups of tribesmen respond to the crisis. Choruses of men appear bare chested in short, black trunks. They are followed by maidens in pale blue and gray sarong-skirts who wear nude mesh tops as they dance across the stage in linear fashion. Graham beautifies them by borrowing the two-dimensional movement Vaslav Nijinsky used in "Afternoon of a Faun" to characterize their dancing. Only The Shaman is covered; he wears a variety of long, flat robes that stretch to the ground and cover his arms. Occasionally we are allowed a glimpse of his arms. Peiju Chien-Pott, long-limbed and reed like, the most beautiful of all of the maidens, navigates her fate without self-pity while simultaneously displaying a tangible sense of fear. With dark, limpid eyes, classic features and long, black mane of hair that hangs nearly to her waist, she is an unusually fierce and feminine presence onstage. Her counterpart is embodied in the total power and dignity of Ben Schultz, who guides her through the ritual sacrifice with composure and quiet authority. At full maturity, Shultz's sculpted physical prowess as a dancer is something to behold. The shape of the rounded dip of the long head of the medial brachii of his upper arms seems to underscore the effortlessness he has achieved at this stage of his rule over the tribesmen. In general, the male dancers of the company have well-developed bodies.They look absolutely stunning. More often than not, this is the trend in modern dance in America, while the reverse can be said to be true in classical ballet. Even if a male dancer is not tall he can still go to the gym.
Graham's use of dancers in "Rite of Spring" is sensual and compelling, bringing the audience into immediate proximity with a multitude of images, naked torsos, bare legs and arms flashing by as male and female dancers stream on and off stage. They leap and crouch over and under each other in massive, rigorous formations. The degree of vigor in their movement increases with the increased anxiety in the score. The fear evoked is that of the collective, not solely that of The Chosen One. Her plight is impersonal, but it is a matter of life and death. The ritual must be carried out properly or it will not be taken seriously by the gods.The plaintive melody repeated as the collective carries out the sacrifice expresses the terrible helplessness the natives feel about what they do. They understand that the sacrifice is absolutely necessary but its execution is inherently abhorrent to them. In these miraculous strains of music, Stravinsky captures the essence of human survival.
At the end of the ballet, Graham carefully avoids confusing the sacrifice of The Chosen One with the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Chosen One mounts a ramp upstage on her back, her body stretched out on an incline. This is the most exciting evening in the theater I have had in years.
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