Martha Graham Dance Company

Martha Graham Dance Company | Dance
Tuesday, 12 May 2026 – 20:30

Considered a landmark of American modern dance, Martha Graham had a historic impact on the art of choreography, leaving an indelible mark on the culture of the United States and the world. Her revolutionary style influenced generations of choreographers, including Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp, opening new horizons in the language of dance. Over the course of her long career, she created 181 choreographies, leaving a vast legacy to the company she founded in 1926, which continues to carry forward her work.
Today, the Martha Graham Dance Company presents the founder’s masterpieces alongside new works commissioned from contemporary artists, performing on prestigious stages such as the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, as well as in more than fifty countries across South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The performance presented in Modena features four historic choreographies by Martha Graham. Steps in the Street (1936), part of the Chronicle cycle, is a powerful response to the threat of fascism in Europe. Immediate Tragedy (created in 1937 and reconstructed by Janet Eilber in 2020) is inspired by the Spanish Civil War. Diversion of Angels (1948) is dedicated to three aspects of love: balanced maturity, erotic passion and youthful innocence. Lamentation (1930) is an intense and poetic reflection on grief, set to a piano piece by Zoltán Kodály.
The evening closes with En Masse, a new choreography by Hope Boykin, twice winner of the Bessie Award and a dancer for more than twenty years with the Ailey American Dance Theater.

Program and cast

Martha Graham Dance Company

STEPS IN THE STREET
Devastation – Homelessness – Exile
from Chronicle
Choreography and costumes Martha Graham
Music Wallingford Riegger
Lighting Jean Rosenthal
Reconstructed in 1989 by Yuriko and Martha Graham based on Julien Bryan’s film

IMMEDIATE TRAGEDY
Dance of Dedication
Choreography Martha Graham, reconstructed by Janet Eilber
Music Henry Cowell
Reconstructed by Christopher Rountree, produced and mixed by Lewis Pesacov, performed by Richard Valitutto, piano
Costumes Martha Graham
Lighting Yi-Chung Chen
Dramaturgy reconstructed by Neil Baldwin
With the support of The O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation

DIVERSION OF ANGELS
Choreography and costumes Martha Graham
Music Norman Dello Joio
Lighting Jean Rosenthal
Adaptation Beverly Emmons

LAMENTATION
Choreography and costumes Martha Graham
Music Zoltán Kodály
Lighting Martha Graham
Adaptation Beverly Emmons

EN MASSE
Choreography Hope Boykin
Music Leonard Bernstein, Christopher Rountree
Costumes Karen Young
Lighting Al Crawford