H
From "Harlequinade" to "Horizons" (4 works)
- Harlequinade
- 1930
Performed to music by Ernst Toch, Harlequinade was divided into two sections, "Pessimist" and "Optimist." The work premiered on January 8, 1930, at New York's Maxine Elliott's Theatre. The solo work was performed by Martha Graham in a concert given by the Dance Repertory Theatre. Graham joined dancer/choreographers Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and [Helen Tamiris to form the Dance Repertory Theatre. The goal was "to give annually a season of continuous dance programs which will be representative of the art of dance in American and will give native artists an outlet for their creative work." The New York Herald Tribune (January 9, 1930) noted that the work displayed "the Graham art at its scintillating best, both penetrating and disarming." The New York Times (January 12, 1930) called it "extremely polished and penetrating."
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- Martha Graham, Maxine Elliott's Theatre, January 8, 1930
- Martha Graham, Community Concert Assosiation of Watertown, NY, Feburary 10, 1930
- Martha Graham, Metropolitan Theatre, June 2, 1930
- Dancer Wins Big Audience with New Art
- Martha Graham in Dance Recital
- Martha Graham, Young Men's Hebrew Association, January 5, 1936
- Martha Graham
- Martha Graham
- None but the Great…
- Dance Group of the University of Pennsylvania Presents Martha Graham and Her Dance Group
- Fine Arts Committee Brings Famed Dancer
- Heretic
- 1929
Performed to an old Breton song, Heretic premiered on April 14, 1929, at New York's Booth Theatre. (On an announcement for this program, the dance was called A Faith.)The work was performed by Martha Graham and Group and marked the debut of Graham's concert ensemble. In describing the choreography, the New York Telegraph April 16, 1929) noted, "Heretic presented a black circle of relentless figures, toward which an angelic soul draped in white cried and pleaded. As the plea registered with the merciless circle they rose to their fullest height and turned menacingly upon the priestess." The reviewer added, "Because of these group compositions, I regard this Martha Graham recital the best ensemble program of the entire season."
- Herodiade
- 1944
Performed to music by Paul Hindemith and commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for the Library of Congress, Herodiade (originally called Mirror Before Me) premiered on October 30, 1944, at the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. The costumes were designed by Edythe Gilfond and the set was created by Isamu Noguchi. The original cast included Martha Graham and May O'Donnell. Reporting for the New York Times (November 1, 1944), critic John Martin noted that in Herodiade, "Miss Graham has created a powerful study of a woman awaiting a 'mysterious destiny' of which she has no knowledge. She has called it 'Mirror Before Me,' and into it she has poured a somber tension that is relentless and altogether gripping. The music is rich and dark in color and the action on the stage meets it magnificently on its own terms. Miss Graham's personal performance must rank among her most extraordinary achievements, and May O'Donnell, who dances the only other role, assists her superbly."
- Horizons
- 1936
Performed to music by Louis Horst, Horizons was divided into four parts: "Migration: New Trails," "Dominion: Sanctified Power," "Building Motif: Homesteading," and "Dance of Rejoycing." The set was designed by Alexander Calder. The work premiered on February 23, 1936, and was danced by Martha Graham and Group. The New York Telegraph (February 25, 1936) described Calder's set as "a series of floating balloons, ropes wriggling like sleepy snakes, and something that resembled a huge turnip were observed turning in the changing light…. Representing Miss Graham at her most abstract, they were greeted by a series of cheers, boos and hisses."