Martha Graham and Greek Myth

05/02/2025

ΕΡΧΕΤΑΙ ΣΥΝΤΟΜΑ: Ένα πολυσυλλεκτικό δρώμενο απο το Martha Graham and Greek Myth

H "Martha Graham & Greek Myth: Clytemnestra" είναι μια πρωτότυπη παράσταση στην οποία η αφήγηση εναλλάσσεται με τον χορό. Η Δρ. Nina Papathanasopoulou Myers, δίνει μια επιδραστική ομιλία, προσιτή σε μικρούς και μεγάλους, σχετικά με την τεχνική, το όραμα και το κινητικό λεξιλόγιο της εμβληματικής Αμερικανίδας χορογράφου Μάρθα Γκράχαμ. Η παρουσίασή της εστιάζει στον μύθο της Κλυταιμνήστρας και του Αγαμέμνονα, καθώς και στον τρόπο με τον οποίο η Γκράχαμ ερμήνευσε την αρχαία ελληνική μυθολογία – ιδιαίτερα τις αρχαίες Ελληνίδες ηρωίδες και τα έντονα συναισθήματά τους – οργή, πένθος, ζήλια, φόβο κι επιθυμία για εκδίκηση.

Πότε: Πέμπτη 6, Παρασκευή 7 και Σάββατο 8 Μαρτίου στις 20:00 και Κυριακή 9 Μαρτίου στις 15:00 και τις 19:00
Πού: Θέατρο ΕΛΕΡ

Σύλληψη/Έρευνα/Ομιλήτρια: Δρ. Νίνα Παπαθανασοπούλου, Καθηγήτρια Κλασικών Σπουδών, College Year in Athens /Διεθνές Κέντρο Ελληνικών και Μεσογειακών Σπουδών (ΔΙ.ΚΕ.ΜΕ.Σ)

Χορογράφος: Penny Diamantopoulou, Καθηγήτρια τεχνικής και ρεπερτορίου Γκράχαμ

Χορεύουν: Κωνσταντίνος Αργυρίου Ευαγγελούδης, Stavros Ikbal, Vassia Kolliou, Μάριος-Αθανάσιος Μποζίκας, Marianna Papakonstantinou, Marianna Tsikmanli, Mara Tsou

Υπεύθυνη Παραγωγής: Dimitra Dermitzaki

Βοηθός Παραγωγής: Ηρώ Παπαευαγγέλου

Γραφιστικός Σχεδιασμός: Ηλιάνα Αλεξάνδρου

Προπώληση: https://www.ticketservices.gr/event/theatro-eler-martha-graham-kai-elliniki-mithoi-klytaimnistra/

Η παράσταση πραγματοποιείται με την υποστήριξη του Ίδρυμα Ιωάννου Φ Κωστοπούλου / The J F Costopoulos Foundation, του College Year in Athens / Διεθνές Κέντρο Ελληνικών και Μεσογειακών Σπουδών και του Martha Graham Dance στη Νέα Υόρκη.

Following successful presentations of "Martha Graham & Greek Myths: Jocasta" in various cities of Greece, as well as in Paris, France, the journey continues. This time the focus turns to the figure of Clytemnestra.

03/02/2025

In Greek Myth the Furies are ancient goddesses of vengeance, deities that haunt those who violate parent-child relationships, like Orestes who kills his own mother. Martha Graham used a chorus of Furies in two of her Greek-themed works, “Night Journey” in 1947, her retelling of the story of Oedipus and Jocasta, and “Clytemnestra” in 1958. The Furies in Graham are also goddesses of vengeance; in addition, they are used as visible manifestations of the intense emotions that women feel as they are driven to violence.

Images: 1. Athena and Apollo intervene in the purification of Orestes. Detail from a Paestan Red-Figure Bell-Krater. Ca. 360-320 BCE. Attributed to Python. British Museum. London.
2. A Fury pursues Orestes as he murders his mother Clytemnestra. Detail from a Paestan Red-Figure Neck Amphora. ca. 340 BCE. Attributed as close to Asteas. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

01/02/2025

Persephone, daughter of the goddess of agriculture Demeter, is known primarily for her abduction by Hades. As she is forced to marry the god of the Underworld, Persephone's marriage is figured as a kind of death. Yet through her mother's determination to retrieve her, Persephone is able to be symbolically reborn, reuniting with her mother in the world of the living for two-thirds of every year before returning to her husband in the Underworld. Martha Graham’s 1987 work Persephone dramatized the myth of Persephone on the dance stage, her abduction and subsequent reunion with her mother. The dance centered on the relationship between mother and daughter, as well as on fertility rites and the change of seasons.

Image: The abduction of Persephone by Hades. Fresco found on Tomb I at Vergina. Ca. 350-310 BCE. Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai. Vergina, Greece.

30/01/2025

Demeter is the quintessential mother goddess, goddess of creation, fertility, and agriculture. She is almost always depicted alongside her daughter Persephone, as in this relief from her sanctuary at Eleusis outside of Athens. Demeter is to the left giving the seeds of agriculture to Triptolemus, a prominent Eleusinian hero, together with her daughter Persephone who stands on the right. Demeter’s relationship to her daughter was of central concern in Martha Graham’s dance “Persephone,” one of Graham’s last works, created in 1987 while she was 91 years old.

Image: Demeter, Triptolemus and Persephone. The Great Eleusinian relief. Marble relief. ca. 440-430 BCE. Found in Eleusis. National Archaeological Museum. Athens.

28/01/2025

Artemis, goddess of the hunt and protectress of young women, has a paradoxical nature, protecting the innocent and also demanding their sacrifice. In Martha Graham’s work she appears as a virtuous goddess wanting to bring some kind of revolution in the ballet “Phaedra” (1962). There Artemis is eager to protect her beloved hunter Hippolytus who has been brutally punished by the vindictive Aphrodite.

Image: Diana of Versailles. Roman marble statuette. ca. 120-150 CE. Copy of a lost Greek bronze original attributed to Leochares. ca. 325 BCE. Louvre Museum. Paris.

26/01/2025

Aphrodite, goddess of s*x, love, and desire, is often depicted as a gentle goddess, naked and playful at the moment of taking her bath. She is, however, also quite vindictive and punishes those who dishonor her. In Euripides’ Hippolytus she punishes the virgin hunter Hippolytus by making his stepmother Phaedra fall in love with him. Martha Graham included Aphrodite as a character in her own ballet, “Phaedra”, in 1962. There too she appears as a vindictive character, plotting destruction for both the innocent Phaedra and the young Hippolytus.

Image: Aphrodite bathing. Marble statuette. ca. 1st CE BCE. Archaeological Museum of Rhodes. Greece.

24/01/2025

Which Greek goddesses did Martha Graham dramatize on her dance stage?

Athena, goddess of war, wisdom, and logic is the protectress of the city of Athens. She often appears as a judge trying to solve disputes and pronounce judgment. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia, Athena and Apollo are the two gods that support Orestes in his trial against Clytemnestra and vote for his acquittal. In Martha Graham’s works she is one of the characters in the dance “Clytemnestra.” She appears in the underworld together with the god Apollo, and in the memories of Clytemnestra as she journeys into her past. Athena is present during Clytemnestra’s imagining of the Sack of Troy, and walks through the city as it is being destroyed.

Image: Model reconstruction of the ivory-gold cult statue of Athena Parthenos created by the sculptor Pheidias in the middle of the 5th century BCE for the Parthenon, her temple on the Acropolis.

22/01/2025

Photos from the “Dance, Ancient Drama, and Myth” Conference organized by the Theatre Studies Department of the University of Athens. Martha Graham and her relationship to Greek myth were central to the conference.

Nina Papathanasopoulou gave a talk on “Dancing Ancient Greek Myth: Justice and Redemption in Martha Graham’s Clytemnestra” while choreographer Ersi Pitta spoke about Graham’s symbolic use of props. Steriani Tsintziloni, Assistant Professor at the Theatre Studies Department and the main organizer of the conference, discussed the revival of Greek drama on the dance stage and made a brief reference to Graham as well. The audience showed much excitement about Graham’s work, and seemed quite impressed with her revolutionary treatment of myth!

20/01/2025

“Dancing Ancient Greek Myth: Justice and Redemption in Martha Graham’s Clytemnestra” - creator of Martha Graham and Greek Myth and Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, Nina Papathanasopoulou Myers, will discuss Graham’s approach to Greek Myth during the ‘Dance, Ancient Drama & Myth’ conference today January 20, organized by the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Athens and taking place at the Great Hall.

For more info and the full program check out the conference’s webpage at 🔗https://www.theatre.uoa.gr/anakoinoseis_kai_ekdiloseis/proboli_ekdilosis/choros_archaio_drama_kai_mythos/

18/01/2025

On January 20, 2025 the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Athens is organizing a conference on "Dance, Ancient Drama & Myth” which explores approaches of dance in relation to ancient myth and drama. Creator of Martha Graham and Greek Myth and Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, Nina Papathanasopoulou Myers, will deliver a paper titled “Dancing Ancient Greek Myth: Justice and Redemption in Martha Graham’s Clytemnestra”.

For more info check out the conference’s webpage 🔗https://www.theatre.uoa.gr/anakoinoseis_kai_ekdiloseis/proboli_ekdilosis/choros_archaio_drama_kai_mythos/

17/01/2025

From left to right: SoYoung An (.young.an), Antonio Leone (), Laurel Dalley Smith (), Lloyd Knight (), Janet Eilber, Xin Ying (), Nina Papathanasopoulou (), James Ker, and Anne Souder () after the Martha Graham Dance Company’s () performance of Errand into the Maze (1947) and Cave of the Heart (1946) at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia on January 4, 2025. The performance took place within the context of the Society for Classical Studies / Archaeological Institute of America 2025 Annual Meeting to honor Graham’s profound engagement with ancient Greek culture.

Photo by Martha Graham Dance Company Manager, Lauren Mosier

15/01/2025

Nina Papathanasopoulou Myers, Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, Janet Eilber, Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance, and Graham Company dancers, Xin Ying () and Lloyd Knight () during a post-show talk-back following performances of Errand into the Maze (1947) and Cave of the Heart (1946) at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia. The evening was organized by the Society for Classical Studies to honor Graham’s contribution to Greek myth and to engage the larger Philadelphia community in the study of the ancient Greek world.

Photos by Anne Lantian Ying.

14/01/2025

Xin Ying () as Medea, Lloyd Knight () as Jason, Laurel Dalley Smith () as the Princess, and Anne Souder () as the Chorus in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946), which was performed at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia as part of the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) / Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) 2025 Annual Meeting on January 4.

The performance was co-organized by Nina Papathanasopoulou, Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, and James Ker, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, both members of the Classics in the Community Committee, to honor Graham’s contribution to Greek myth and the field of Classical Studies and to engage the larger Philadelphia community in the study of the ancient Greek world.
Thank you

Images:
1. Xin Ying, Lloyd Knight, Laurel Dalley Smith, and Anne Souder in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946). Photo by Scott Serio for Eclipse Newswire .
2. Xin Ying, Lloyd Knight, Laurel Dalley Smith, and Anne Souder in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946). Photo by Anne Lantian Jing.
3. Lloyd Knight, Laurel Dalley Smith, and Anne Souder in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946). Photo by Anne Lantian Jing.
4. Lloyd Knight and Laurel Dalley Smith in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946). Photo by Ana María Núñez .
5. Xin Ying and Anne Souder in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946). Photo by Ana María Núñez .
6. Xin Ying wearing Noguchi’s Spider Dress in Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart (1946). Photo by Anne Lantian Jing.

13/01/2025

SoYoung An (.young.an) as the woman and Antonio Leone () as the Minotaur in Martha Graham’s () Errand into the Maze (1947), which was performed at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia as part of the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) / Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) 2025 Annual Meeting on January 4.

The performance was co-organized by Nina Papathanasopoulou (), Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, and James Ker, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, both members of the Classics in the Community Committee, to honor Graham’s contribution to Greek myth and to engage the larger Philadelphia community in the study of the ancient Greek world.

Photos by Scott Serio for Eclipse Newswire .

11/01/2025

Martha Graham’s deep engagement with Greek Myth was celebrated during this year’s Society for Classical Studies (SCS) / Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) 2025 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

A performance of two of Graham’s Greek-themed works, Cave of the Heart (1946), a dance based on the myth of Medea, and Errand into the Maze (1947), her duet loosely based on the story of the Minotaur, were presented at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in downtown Philadelphia. Nina Papathanasopoulou, creator of Martha Graham and Greek Myth, Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, and Public Engagement Coordinator for the SCS, co-organized the performance together with James Ker, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Photos: Nina, James and the Martha Graham Company’s Artistic Director, Janet Eilber, during their opening remarks at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia. Photos by Anne Lantian Jing.

10/01/2025

Nina Papathanasopoulou, creator of Martha Graham and Greek Myth and Professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens, co-organized with Ronnie Ancona, Emerita Professor of Classics at Hunter College and CUNY, a panel on “Dance and Myth: The Reception of the Greeks by Martha Graham” during the Society for Classical Studies / Archaeological Institute of America 2025 Annual Meeting on January 4 in Philadelphia. The panel included five academic talks as well as a discussion with the Martha Graham Dance Company's Artistic Director, Janet Eilber, and two of the Company’s excellent dancers, Anne Souder () and Lloyd Knight ().

All photos by Ana María Núñez
1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Nina Papathanasopoulou during her talk ‘Tracing the Ancient Literary and Visual Sources
in Martha Graham’s Greek-themed Dances”
6. Nina Papathanasopoulou with her panel co-organizer, Ronnie Ancona.
7. Nina Papathanasopoulou introducing the Martha Graham Dance Company members, Janet Eilber,
Anne Souder, and Lloyd Knight.
8. Nina Papathanasopoulou with Lloyd Knight and Anne Souder.