PHILADELPHIA (October 25, 2007) – The University of the Arts (UArts) will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company (MGDC) – America’s oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance troupe – with an exhibition of the original set from a Graham production, the School of Dance performance of a notoriously complex Graham masterwork and a symposium examining Graham’s influence on today’s dance.

Noguchi/Graham @ Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery
Created by the noted Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904 – 1988), the set of Graham’s 1946 Cave of the Heart is the focus of Noguchi/Graham at the University’s Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery through November 29. Cave of the Heart is Graham’s dramatization of the legend of the sorceress Medea – a thorough study in the destructiveness of jealousy. The exhibition also includes a looped video and photos of the MGDC performing the dance.

Noguchi constructed the pieces of the set to emulate a landscape like the islands of Greece and help tell the story of how a spurned Medea plotted to kill the new love interest of Jason (of Golden Fleece fame) and her own children. Graham and Noguchi worked together successfully for years. Beginning in 1935 with Graham’s Frontier, Noguchi designed sets for over 20 Graham productions.

October 22-November 29 (Mon.-Tues., Thurs.-Fri.10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat.-Sun. Noon-5 p.m.)
Reception (open to the pubic): November 9, 4-6 p.m.
Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery (333 S. Broad Street)

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Performing Panorama
Dancers from The University of the Arts will be the first collegiate troupe to perform Martha Graham’s Panorama when they take the stage during the Martha Graham Dance Company’s (MGDC) performance at the Zellerbach Theater at Penn’s Annenberg Center as part of the Dance Celebration series presented by Dance Affiliates and Penn Presents. A starkly compelling work for 33 dancers dressed in red, Panorama is set to the Norman Lloyd’s driving score and includes a Calder-inspired mobile set design by Robert Kracik. Panorama is a stoic commentary on American society that questions its Puritan heritage and the exploitation of African-Americans. UArts alumna Holly Cerino is an MGDC member. Virginie Mecene performed the reconstruction; UArts Dance professor Kim Y. Bears-Bailey was the rehearsal director.

November 8 @ 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9-10 @ 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 @ 2 p.m.
Ticket are $46, $39 and $32 (evening) and $39, $34, $29 (matinees). Tickets can be purchased by calling the Annenberg Center Box Office at 215/898-3900 or visiting www.pennpresents.org.

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Martha Graham: Acrobat of the Gods – A Symposium
Martha Graham truly defined modern dance in America. Recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century, Graham created 181 ballets that spanned 80 years. Her dances were inspired by modern painting, heroic women, the American frontier and Greek mythology, featuring solos, all-women group works and acclaimed classics. Graham’s legacy will be explored at the symposium “Martha Graham: Acrobat of the Gods.” Catherine Robert of the UArts School of Dance and Liberal Arts departments will moderate a panel comprised of Virginie Mecene, Director of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance; and Randy Swartz, Executive and Artistic Director of Dance Affiliates.

November 8 from 11:30 – 12:50 p.m.
Connelly Auditorium (211 S. Broad St., 8th floor)
Free and open to the public

This project was made possible thanks to a long-standing collaboration between Dance Affiliates and The University of the Arts School of Dance.

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