Martha Graham Dance Company Receives 2026 Capezio Dance Award at 100th Anniversary Gala

The Martha Graham Dance Company was honored with the 2026 Capezio Dance Award at their 100th Anniversary Gala at the New York Public Library on April 17, 2026.

First awarded in 1952, the Capezio Dance Award recognizes significant contributions to American dance by an individual, company, or institution. It is awarded to those who bring respect, stature, and distinction to dance and who exhibit qualities such as innovation, creativity, and imagination.

Founded in 1926 by pioneering choreographer Martha Graham, who was honored with the Capezio Dance Award in 1960, the Martha Graham Dance Company has shaped the foundation of contemporary movement vocabulary and continues to inspire generations of dancers, choreographers, and artists across disciplines. The Capezio Dance Award recognizes the company's extraordinary contributions to the evolution of dance and its enduring artistic impact worldwide.

For 100 years, the Martha Graham Dance Company has stood at the forefront of artistic expression, redefining the boundaries of physical storytelling and emotional truth in performance. Graham's revolutionary technique transformed modern dance into a powerful language of human experience. Today, the company remains a living archive of her vision, preserving and expanding her legacy through performance, education, and global collaboration.

In conjunction with the centennial celebration, Capezio has partnered with the Martha Graham Dance Company to create a commemorative dancewear collection that Capezio will launch in Fall 2026. The Salvatore Capezio x Martha Graham collection draws inspiration from the expressive power and sculptural movement of Graham's work, translating her aesthetic into contemporary dancewear and studio to street pieces designed for performance, training, and modern movement exploration. Rooted in Capezio's nearly 140-year history and founder Salvatore Capezio's focus on craftsmanship and innovation, the collaboration bridges heritage and modernity, honoring the past while supporting dancers of today.

“For Martha Graham, the costume is an extension of the body's inner landscape,” said Janet Eilber, Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company. “It shapes a silhouette, heightens a gesture, and reveals the body's emotional architecture. This collaboration between the Martha Graham Dance Company and Capezio is rooted in a shared understanding of the dancer's body as a site of expression, design, and transformation. For the last hundred years, Martha's technique and costuming philosophy have centered on the relationship between fabric and form, making this partnership with Capezio's enduring legacy of creating for dancers especially meaningful.”

“As the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates its 100th year, this dual recognition—the Capezio Dance Award and the Salvatore Capezio x Martha Graham collection—marks a milestone moment in the world of dance and design,” said Joyce Schnoedl, Chairman of the Board of Capezio and a lifelong dancer herself. “The award recognizes not only the dance company's history, but the living, evolving spirit of Martha Graham's vision. The new Capezio collection will bring the iconic fashion of Martha Graham to dancers everywhere, in the studio, on stage, and on the street. We are honored to partner with the dancers of Martha Graham to bring this collection to life.”

Founded in 1887, Capezio is a leading global brand in dancewear and footwear, dedicated to supporting dancers across all disciplines with products rooted in craftsmanship, innovation, and performance. Established by master shoemaker Salvatore Capezio, the brand has been synonymous with quality, artistry, and the evolution of dance for nearly 140 years. Today Capezio continues to honor its heritage while evolving with the needs of the modern dancer, serving professionals, students, and performers around the world.

The Capezio Dance Award, established in 1952, is a prestigious honor recognizing individuals, dance companies, and institutions who have made significant contributions to the art of dance in the United States. Created to celebrate excellence and to elevate the visibility of dance, the Capezio Dance Award has been presented to influential dancers, choreographers, and educators such as Martha Graham, Ruth St. Denis, Maria Tallchief, Jerome Robbins, Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey, and Fred Astaire.

The Martha Graham Dance Company has been a leader in the evolving art form of modern dance since its founding in 1926. It is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company.

Today, the Company is embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. With programs that unite the work of choreographers across time within a rich historical and thematic narrative, the Company is actively working to create new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.

Since its inception, the Martha Graham Dance Company has received international acclaim from audiences in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The Company has performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, Covent Garden, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as at the base of the Great Pyramids in Egypt and in the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus theater on the Acropolis in Athens. In addition, the Company has also produced several award-winning films broadcast on PBS and around the world.