A century later, Graham company still strong

Ethan Palma and Xin Ying excelled in Martha Graham's stark "Night Journey" at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. (Photo by Jamie Kraus) 

Since Martha Graham’s death, her iconic company has had its ups and downs.

But one thing remained throughout, the 100-year-old mother of all modern dance companies remains defiant and relevant.

As seen on Wednesday night at Jacob’s Pillow, the Martha Graham Dance Company paid homage to its radical roots and also made certain that everyone understood it is taking on the tumultuous headwinds of today’s world. It was program that was both breathless, breathtaking and meaningful.

That’s true even when their newer dances, or at least one of them, aren’t up to the company’s standard. It’s not the fault of the dancers – oh no. They are rocks, so absorbed in Graham’s rigorous style that sometimes it requires a doubletake to make certain it’s not Graham herself up there dancing.

This was true of both historic works on the program – Graham’s startling “Night Journey” and her recently reconstructed solo “Immediate Tragedy.” In “Night Journey,” the retelling of Jocasta’s revelation and subsequent suicide when she realizes she married her son Oedipus, was classic. Xin Ying danced Jocasta opposite Lorenzo Pagano as her husband/son in a work that depicted both alluring erotica and devastating shame.

Ying related her guilt in twisted and tumbling solos while Pagano flaunted his powerful virility with his wide and hovering stance. The drama was elevated by Tiresias, the blind seer, who stomped about with his staff and the chorus of dancers or daughters of the night as led by the solid Leslie Andrea Williams. The final scene, rope wrapped around Jocasta’s neck, was chilling.

 “Immediate Tragedy,” from 1937, is dedicated to the women enduring the Spanish Civil War. Amazingly, this once lost work was restored after images on a photo contact sheet were discovered. As they showed the sequence of events, Artistic Director Janet Eilber expertly revived it.

With Anne Soder in the role, she used the Graham technique to take invisible gut punches that felled her to the floor. Her skirt, lined in red, showed that the fire within her never died. She remained courageous in the face of fascism – a lesson for today.

Of the two new works, Hope Boykin’s “En Masse,” had outstanding sharp choreography and lighting effects. But it went off the rails with her musical choices – Leonard Bernstein and Christopher Rountree. They were not compatible and seemed random. “En Masse” would win with a singular musical style as the dancing, particularly the solos, were knock outs.

The same could be said for Jamar Roberts’ “We the People.” His thoughtful silence solos were juxtaposed coolly to the vigorous group action set to the music by Rhiannon Giddens.
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Both of the newer works demonstrated the power of the people. But watching these masterful dancers, one also sees the power of Graham. Her legacy lives on.