Northrop Presents
Martha Graham Dance Company
2025–26 Northrop Season
Sat, Feb 7, 7:30 pm
Marking the 100th anniversary of Martha Graham Dance Company in 2026, the legendary modern dance company continues its three-year Graham100 tour with a celebratory mixed repertory stop at Northrop. Exemplifying its founder’s timeless and uniquely American style of dance, this once-in-a-lifetime performance honors the theme American Legacies.
The stunning “protest set to banjo” piece (The New York Times) We the People (2024) by Jamar Roberts with music by Rhiannon Giddens; a new work by two-time Bessie Award winner Hope Boykin; and the inimitable Martha Graham classic Appalachian Spring, with music by Aaron Copland; and “Steps in the Street” from Graham’s Chronicle, performed by dancers in the University of Minnesota dance program, round out the repertoire. Known as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, Martha Graham’s groundbreaking legacy has inspired generations of artists and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Top image: Martha Graham Dance Company in Appalachian Spring. Photo © Melissa Sherwood.
Articles & More
“Contraction and release, the core of Graham technique, which she called a dramatization of breathing, is constitutional in We the People.”—The New York Times
“Roberts’s dance … isn’t a hoedown. It’s a protest, dressed in denim.”—The New York Times
“The company named for the indisputable mother of modern dance delivered a knockout program that will take them around the world, where they will continue to spread the still-relevant, always revelatory gospel of Graham.”—Fjord Review
“[Jamar Roberts’] work captures the spirit of our age, full of doubt, pain, but also grace.”—Dance Magazine
“A successful partnership to say the least, this collaboration is a brilliant nod to American folk music.”—The Dance Enthusiast
“The dancers are formidable performers, beautifully trained and focused like lasers.”—LA Dance Chronicle
To Help You Decide
You might enjoy this performance if you love(d):
This will be Martha Graham Dance Company’s ninth presentation by Northrop; the last was in Apr 2022.
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Related Event(s)
Know Before You Go
Event Information
- Seating: Ticket Required
- Performance Begins: 7:30 pm
- Tickets: Check the email you provided when you placed your order to locate your digital ticket. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folders if you do not see them.
- Detailed Event Information: Check back for more information closer to the date.
If you need assistance, please call 612-624-2345, email umntix@umn.edu.
Important Links–Planning Your Visit
Learn More - Explore These Themes
The content below derives from the Northrop Across Campus Program that supports Northrop's mission towards intersections between performing arts and education for the benefit of all participants now and for generations to come.
Find ways to make thematic connections to these suggested topics:
- Dance: Modern & Contemporary
- U.S. History
- Music: Banjo, Afro-American, Jazz
- Theatre Arts: Storytelling, Costume Design, Set Design
Dive deeper with these resources that provide additional information about the performers, the history of the artform, and the artistic process.
Martha Graham Dance Company website
Hope Boykin | Alvin Ailey website
Video: "Appalachian Spring (1958 Television Performance)"
Video: "Martha Graham Teaching (clip from The McNeil Lehrer Report, 1984)"
Video: "Martha Graham Dance Technique Beginning Level"
"Nearly a Century Later, Martha Graham's Impact Persists"—The Bay State Banner
Helpern, Alice J. "The Evolution of Martha Graham's Dance Technique." PhD dissertation, New York University, 1981. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (8128214).
"Exercises in Discipline and Freedom? The Graham Technique"—Dance Chronicle
"American Dance Pioneer Martha Graham and the Ghosts of Feminism"—Women: A Cultural Review
Snyder, Diana Marie. "Theatre as a Verb: The Theatre Art of Martha Graham,1923–1958." PhD dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1980. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (8108668).
"A Protest Set to Banjo: Jamar Roberts’s Dance for Hard Times"—The New York Times
"Jamar Roberts' Astonishing Dancing Is Matched By His Mesmerizing Choreography"—Dance Magazine
"Day in the Life of Dance: Sneak Preview of We The People by Jamar Roberts for the Martha Graham Dance Company"—Dance Enthusiast
Start a conversation about the performance or encourage reflection, using these questions as inspiration.
This program will honor the 100th anniversary of legendary dancer, choreographer, and namesake Martha Graham, who created 181 ballets and a dance technique that has been compared to ballet in its scope and magnitude. Her approach to dance and theater revolutionized the art forms, and her innovative physical vocabulary has had a lasting and irrevocable influence on dance worldwide. Graham has been named “Dancer of the Century” by TIME and one of the female “Icons of the Century” by People.
- What makes an artist iconic?
- Is it essential to preserve culturally significant art for future generations? If so, how might a company protect the legacy of the founder of an artistic technique?
- How might the act of archiving and preserving artistic creations be unique for a dance company compared to other art forms like music or visual arts?
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Janet Eilber since 2005, the company continues to perform iconic and new works inspired by Graham’s legacy. Honoring the theme American Legacies, the evening will feature a mixed repertory program, including We the People by Jamar Roberts, with music by banjo phenom Rhiannon Giddens; a new work by Hope Boykin; one of Graham’s most celebrated works, Appalachian Spring, about American optimism; and “Steps in the Street” from Graham’s Chronicle.
- How does the juxtaposition of historical and modern works in this program reflect the legacy of Martha Graham and the evolution of dance?
- How might an intercultural program of dances, especially highlighting the role of African American composers and choreographers, relate the evolution of modern dance to the creative and cultural landscape of the United States?
In 1938, Martha Graham choreographed American Document, a work featuring movement and spoken word, inspired by essential American texts that addressed the question, “What is America?” Student dancers from Minneapolis’ South High School, with assistance from their teachers and representatives from the Martha Graham Dance Company, will create an original version of the piece, Our Own American Document, in response to Graham’s iconic work, which they will perform for an audience of peers during Northrop’s student matinee.
- How does pairing South High School with Martha Graham Dance Company highlight the role of intergenerational collaboration in art and the role of young people in presenting and preserving cultural history?
- What does being an American mean to you? What would you include in your own American Document?
- What is an artistic work that, from your perspective, encapsulates your experience living in the United States?
Acknowledgments
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
