Martha Graham Dance Company at Center for the Arts at George Mason University

The revolutionary Martha Graham Dance Company—the oldest modern dance ensemble in the
country—returns to the Center for the Arts with a program that showcases the company’s legacy
through iconic classics and new work. The evening opens with a special performance of one of
Graham’s earliest works, Steps in the Street, danced entirely by students of the Mason Dance
Company. Next members of the Martha Graham Dance Company perform Agnes de Mille’s tour
de force, Rodeo. Set to music by famed American composer Aaron Copland, Rodeo broke
ground in 1942 by including tap dance and indigenous folk dance alongside classical ballet. Next
on the program is a new commission by acclaimed choreographer Jamar Roberts, featuring
music by multi-instrument virtuoso and two-time GRAMMY winner Rhiannon Giddens. This
special preview of the work is the week before the company’s official world premiere at New
York City Center. The program concludes with the joyful Maple Leaf Rag, Graham’s 180 th (and
last) choreographic work, created at the age of 96. Experience the company The Washington Post
called “one of the seven wonders of the artistic universe” in an evening that illuminates artistic
impulses to connect to our past, present, and future.