It is impossible to overstate Martha Graham’s influence on dance in the past century. Her distinctive, groundbreaking movement technique has been carried in dancers’ bodies for generations; the works she commissioned have grown and multiplied over hundreds of performances; and her contributions to the art of stage design and dance production are countless.

Martha Graham Dance Company

Cal Performances

Leap into the legacy of Martha Graham Dance Company’s (MGDC) 100th anniversary. In this moderated conversation before MGDC’s performance, Artistic Director Janet Eilber shares behind-the-scenes insight into America’s oldest and most iconic modern dance institution. Explore the company’s groundbreaking history, bold new programming and how Graham’s visionary spirit continues to shape contemporary dance today.

Martha Graham Dance Company Performance Preview With Artistic Director Janet Eilber

Northrop

Kate Soper’s seminal “philosophy-opera” (New Yorker) with original choreography by the Martha Graham Dance Company

EPSG:4326

Ipsa Dixit New Production

Art Theatre of Long Beach

Martha Graham is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century, alongside Pablo Picasso, Virginia Woolf, Igor Stravinsky, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Graham radically expanded the dance vocabulary, rooting it in social, psychological, and sexual ideas and forever altering the scope of the art form. These performances will include a new work choreographed by Jamar Roberts, resident choreographer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and set to music by Rhiannon Giddens. The dance will be paired with Agnes de Mille’s 1942 classic Rodeo; its iconic score by Aaron Copland has been reorchestrated for a bluegrass ensemble, offering an expanded view of our cultural history and the influence of Black artists on American music and dance forms. Martha Graham’s final complete work, Maple Leaf Rag, rounds out the program.

University Musical Society

Come witness the debut of a newly unearthed Canticle for Innocent Comedians, performed by the “most skilled and powerful dancers you can ever hope to see” (Washington Post). The Martha Graham Company’s original 1952 Canticle was beloved but is now considered lost. Their new Canticle is based on the same themes and format as the original, with a new score by jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran performed live by Wild Up, Christopher Rountree’s exuberant modern ensemble of classical musicians. This is the second appearance for the world-famous dance company onstage at The Soraya this season, and fifth overall.

Janet Eilber

Events

Past events

14 - 15 Feb, 2026

Martha Graham Dance Company · Cal Performances

Feb 7, 2026

Martha Graham Dance Company Performance Preview With Artistic Director Janet Eilber · Northrop

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