Dancer Martha Graham Subject of New Two-Part Documentary Coming to PBS

PBS has announced that the new two-part series, Martha Graham Dance Company: We Are Our Time, will premiere on Friday, March 27, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Episode two will air on Friday, April 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS app. 

As the Graham Company nears its 100th anniversary, We Are Our Time offers a behind-the-scenes portrait of the company, exploring Graham’s legacy through the dancers who embody her work today. Graham's own words are voiced by Meryl Streep.

For over three years, Partisan Pictures embedded within the dance company, filming from rehearsal to premiere, across a global tour, and at home with family. Through dance sequences, verité storytelling, and interviews with dancers across generations, including those who studied with Graham and those who’ve followed, the series reveals the devotion and sacrifice of a dancer’s world.

“PBS is honored to celebrate one of America’s most groundbreaking artistic institutions,” said Sylvia Bugg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming at PBS. “Martha Graham DANCE COMPANY: WE ARE OUR TIME offers audiences a rare window into the creative legacy that reshaped modern dance, while highlighting the artists who continue to carry Graham’s vision forward. We are proud to share programming that reflects PBS’s mission to broaden the national conversation about such an important subject.” 

Episode one, “American Spirit,” follows the Graham dancers from rehearsal to premiere as they carry her legacy forward with a new work, a protest dance from choreographer Jamar Roberts in collaboration with Pulitzer-winning composer Rhiannon Giddens.

Episode two, “Athletes of God,” takes viewers on a world tour with the dance company. Traveling across Europe, the dancers reflect on both the exhilaration and the physical and emotional toll of life on the road. As the first American dance company to tour China post-pandemic, their journey echoes Graham’s belief in movement as a universal language.

“Capturing the athleticism and breathtaking elegance of each dancer in intimate settings, both in their homes and backstage, was a challenging yet thrilling experience,” said directors Peter Schnall and Cyndee Readdean. “It was also a first for the Graham company: never before had a documentary team been granted unrestricted access to the day-to-day operations of the company and its dancers. In filming them, we came to understand what Graham meant by being ‘born to the instant.’ Whether through movement on stage or through a camera’s lens, we were both capturing the moment.”

Martha Graham DANCE COMPANY: WE ARE OUR TIME will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.

The series is a Partisan Pictures production for PBS.  It is directed and produced by Peter Schnall and Cyndee Readdean.  Executive Producers are David Kener and Peter Schnall.  Editors are Rob Kuhns and Jennifer McGafferty.  Cinematography by Peter Schnall, Andrew Baker and Jerry Risius and the Music Supervisor is Jonathan Zalben.  The Associate Producer is Lena Schnall.  

Photo credit: Amy Moritz © Partisan Pictures