MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY: Cave of the Heart AT 92Y HARKNESS DANCE FESTIVAL
March 13-15
NEW YORK, NY: For the fourth week of 92nd Street Y’s Harkness Dance Festival, the Martha Graham Dance Company returns to the 92Y stage to perform Cave of the Heart, a shattering study of the destructive power of love inspired by the story of Medea, with music by Samuel Barber and a historic set designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi. This performance represents a sort of “beautiful homecoming,” says festival curator Doug Varone, referring to Martha Graham’s early teaching and performing at 92Y.
Using Varone’s “Stripped/Dressed” format, each choreographer spends the first half of the program taking apart the dance – talking about it, showing how it was built and giving the audience a direct experience of dance-making without lights or costumes. After intermission, the work is presented fully “Dressed” in its entirety.
The “Stripped” portion of this program begins with an exploration of Graham’s famed “vocabulary,” her codified classroom technique that evolved with each new dance she created. “The movement motifs that Graham invented for her own role of Medea and the other classic characters will be explained,” says Artistic Director Janet Eilber. “We’ll discuss the Graham vocabulary and demonstrate how it is studied in the classroom as well as how it is used in motifs for each of the characters in Cave of the Heart.”
During intermission, the audience will be invited to take their shoes off and to walk around the Noguchi set so they can see it from the dancers’ point of view.
This year’s Festival is dedicated to the late Theodore S. Bartwink, long-time executive director of the Harkness Foundation for Dance.
WHAT: 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival: Stripped/Dressed — Week FOUR: MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY: Cave of the Heart
WHEN: Fri, Mar 13 and Sat, Mar 14 at 8 pm; Sun, Mar 15 at 3 pm
WHERE: 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY, 10128
TICKETS: $25 at 92Y.org or 212.415.5500
Press Information: Carrie Oman at [email protected] or 212.415.5435
Upcoming performances at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival:
WEEK FIVE
SALLY SILVERS: ACTUAL SIZE
Fri, Mar 20 and Sat, Mar 21 at 8 pm; Sun, Mar 22 at 3 pm, from $25
About 92Y Harkness Dance Center
In 1935, what became the 92Y Harkness Dance Center provided a home to the fledgling American modern dance movement and its leader, Martha Graham. In the decades that followed, every great American dancer and choreographer – visionaries including Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Robert Joffrey and Donald McKayle – spent time at 92Y, building the foundation for modern dance as we know it. Through the generous support of the Harkness Foundation for Dance, the Dance Center continues this proud tradition of dance teaching, creation and performance, serving the professional world and the community at large. Technique classes range from ballet and modern dance to hip-hop and Flamenco. Rounding out the program are several performance programs including the annual 92Y Harkness Dance Festival; a professional development program for dance educators; and several teen dance troupes. For more information, please visit www.92Y.org/dance.
About 92Y
Now celebrating its 140th Anniversary, 92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world’s best minds; outstanding programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is the home of #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving launched in 2012. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y’s digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization, 92Y embraces its Jewish heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.
