On the Occasion of the Martha Graham Dance Company's Centennial Celebration, GME Highlights Jack Mitchell's Photographs of Graham and Her Collaborators
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Martha Graham performing “Phaedra” in 1962. © Estate of Jack Mitchell.
Martha Graham is widely recognized as one of the premier dancer/choreographers of the 20th century. She created 181 ballets over the course of 70 years that were inspired by a wide variety of sources, including modern art, the American frontier, and Greek mythology. A pioneer of modern dance, she revolutionized the art form by exposing the depths of human emotion through movement. Her method, which became known as the “Graham technique,” resulted in works that had a primal quality, driven by the psychological textures and complexities of her interior world. This technique is based on contraction and release, and is considered a cornerstone of modern dance.
The Martha Graham Dance Company remains the oldest continually performing dance company in the United States. On the occasion of its centennial celebration, GME revisits Jack Mitchell’s rich repository of photographs chronicling Graham and her company, many of which were taken during a period in the legendary dancer’s career that was marked by professional and personal transformation.
Founded by Graham in 1926, the ensemble is recognized as one of the great dance companies in the world. Many of the giants of modern dance performed for the company at the beginning of their careers, including Erick Hawkins, Merce Cunningham, and Paul Taylor (pictured below). “Modern Dance Masters” was taken by Mitchell in the garden patio of Graham’s studio on October 12th, 1968, and also features Twyla Tharp, José Limón, Yvonne Rainer, and Don Redlich.
“MODERN DANCE MASTERS.” 1968.
Mitchell, whose body of work GME exclusively represents for exhibition and placement, was one of the 20th century’s most renowned photographers of dance. His career took off in the 1950s and ‘60s and coincided with the rise of modern dance in America as promulgated by Graham. The Mitchell photography collection contains vintage prints of Graham and her company during this era, as well as images of artists with whom she collaborated, most notably Isamu Noguchi.
The Graham legacy continues into the 21st century with a new generation of dancers and scholars. On Friday, January 26th, 2024, GME President Jon Gartenberg and GME Fine Arts Curator David Deitch attended the Jerome Robbins Dance Division Annual Symposium, which honored Graham on the occasion of her company’s centennial celebration. Among the presenters and performers at this year’s symposium were Lloyd Knight (pictured below), who joined Graham’s company in 2005, became a principal dancer in 2014, and has performed the major male roles of her repertory (including Appalachian Spring, Embattled Garden, and Night Journey).
For additional information about Mitchell’s photographs of Graham and her company, or to inquire about the exhibition and placement of the Mitchell collection, please contact David Deitch, GME’s Fine Arts Curator, at david@gartenbergmedia.com.
All photos © The Estate of Jack Mitchell, except for Lloyd Knight, photographed for Dance Magazine.