The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Announces a Large-Scale Exhibition on Martha Graham and Her Dance Company

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Featuring archival items from the Jerome Robbins Dance
Division S Martha Graham Archive, the exhibition titled
Martha Graham the Mother of Psychological Dance is curated
by Jack Fervor and opens May 20th, 2026.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, located at

(00:21):
Lincoln Center, is pleased to announce a new large scale
exhibition exploring Martha Graham and her dance company
through the Jerome Robbins DanceDivision S Martha Graham
Archive. Part of the Martha Graham Dance
Company S Centennial Celebration, the exhibition
Martha Graham, the Mother of Psychological Dance, curated by

(00:42):
choreographer, writer and educator Jack Fervor, opens May
20th, 2026. The show will display rarely
seen archival materials from theJerome Robbins Dance Division's
Martha Graham Archive and offer insight into the genius and
legacy of Graham and the dance company.

(01:02):
Several programs at the Library for the Performing Arts will
accompany the exhibition, which runs through November 7th, 2026.
This Centennial exhibition traces the arc of Graham S
career, her groundbreaking company, and the constellation
of collaborators who gravitated toward her curious mind.

(01:24):
Graham didn't teach, just innovate dance.
She rewired its DNA by putting the raw psychology of the
individual and social collectiveon stage.
She redefined what movement could express not just in dance,
but across all art forms. Born in 1894, Martha Graham was
an American modern dancer and choreographer.

(01:47):
Initially proclaimed as a great dancer, she started to
fundamentally change the way dance looked and was perceived
when she founded her Martha Graham Dance Company in 1926.
Today, she is often placed alongside artistic household
names who significantly impactedtheir medium.
Ultimately, the reason she is recognized as one of the greats

(02:10):
in dance history was because of her choreographic masterworks
and her invention of a new and codified dance language.
Her signature Gram technique, now used by dance companies all
over the world, was the first ofits kind that stood in contrast
to classical ballet. The Jerome Robbins Dance
Division at the Library for the Performing Arts acquired the

(02:33):
Martha Graham Dance Company archive in 2020.
About the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts was founded
in 1965 at Lincoln Center and isdedicated to enhancing access to
its rich archives of dance, theater, music, and recorded

(02:54):
sound to amplify all voices and support the creative process.
As one of the New York Public Library S renowned research
centers and one of the world S largest collection solely
focused on the performing arts, the library S materials are
available free of charge, along with a wide range of special
programs including exhibitions, seminars, film screenings, and

(03:19):
performances. The collection at the Library
for the Performing Arts includesupwards of 8 million items
notable for their extraordinary range and diversity, from 11th
century music to 20th century manuscripts to contemporary hip
hop dance.