Graham's legacy leaps forward: a company, a documentary, a century
A century after its inception, the Martha Graham Dance Company isn't just revisiting its past; it’s actively reanimating it, proving that the echoes of a pioneering artist can resonate with startling clarity across generations. A new PBS documentary, We Are Our Time, offers a compelling glimpse into this vibrant evolution, arriving just as the company prepares to mark its centennial with a series of performances at City Center.
A vision rooted in antiquity, anchored in america
Martha Graham, a figure whose career nearly bookended the 20th century, was a singular force. Her choreography, steeped in explorations of myth and grappling with the anxieties of a rapidly changing world – from Oedipal urges to the specter of fascism – established a movement vocabulary uniquely her own, centered on the contraction and release of the torso. Yet, as Graham herself wrote to Aaron Copland, her work was inextricably linked to the American experience: “Certain things are alive for all of us, although far in the actual past…America is forever peopled with characters who walk with us in the present in a very real way.”
Beyond the icon: a look inside the company
We Are Our Time wisely avoids the temptation of hagiography, sidestepping the well-worn narrative of the camp icon Susan Sontag famously described. Instead, directors Peter Schnall and Cyndee Readdean focus their lens on the contemporary dancers, capturing the rigorous rehearsals, the camaraderie of tour buses, and the electric energy of the stage. The filmmakers spent over two years embedded within the company, strategically incorporating archival footage – notably a poignant split-screen comparison of Graham and Leslie Andrea Williams performing Lamentation – to highlight the enduring power of Graham’s vision.
Meryl Streep’s narration, a late addition to the project, adds a layer of gravitas, her voice imbued with a quiet intensity that perfectly complements Graham’s own words. Schnall recounts Streep’s initial reaction, a palpable hush falling over the recording booth as her reading began, “We all just went, ‘Wow, this is what we’ve been waiting for—and more.’”
New voices, enduring spirit
The documentary also spotlights the company’s embrace of new choreography. Jamar Roberts, a former Alvin Ailey star, recently unveiled We the People (2024), a work set to the infectious music of Rhiannon Giddens. Roberts, acutely aware of the grounded nature of the Graham technique, pushes his dancers to “dig deep,” as he puts it, tapping into “the spirit of the untamed that I think lives here.” Lloyd Knight’s powerful solo performance in We the People – bare-chested, weighted down by silence – is a testament to this energy.
A future beyond westbeth
Janet Eilber, the artistic director since 2005, is steering the company towards its second century with a focus on innovation. “We’re not making sort of a sacred altar to Martha Graham,” she states, “We’re honoring her appetite for the new.” This includes embracing international tours, as seen in the film's segment documenting the company’s recent journey to China, where principal Xin Ying reunited with her mother amidst a backdrop of cultural rediscovery. The company's long-time home at Westbeth, however, is nearing its end. Come May, they will relocate to new studios in Midtown, a move that includes a surprising amenity: a pickleball court. “We can do a warmup and a cool-down to protect their muscles, ankles, knees,” Eilber jokes, hinting at the ongoing quest for funding.
Ultimately, We Are Our Time isn’t just about a century of dance; it's about the ongoing conversation between past and present, a testament to the power of Art to transcend time. As Graham herself observed, “No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time.” And, as the Martha Graham Dance Company proves, that time is now.