Thursday January 23rd, 2014 – Tonight Martha Graham’s CAVE OF THE HEART was danced in a studio setting at the Martha Graham Dance Company‘s home space on Bethune Street. Although described as an open rehearsal – the dancers wore practice clothes and the ballet’s Noguchi set pieces had already been shipped out West for the Company’s upcoming tour performances – the work’s power and immediacy provided a vibrant theatrical experience.
In both her opening remarks and in a Q & A at the end of the evening, the Company’s artistic director Janet Eilber gave us valuable insights into CAVE OF THE HEART. It was interesting to learn, for example, that Graham first approached Aaron Copland to write the music for this work which she was conceiving: Copland demurred. She then turned to the Mexican composer Carlos Chavez who delivered a score that the choreographer found unsuited to her needs (she eventually set another work, DARK MEADOW, to the Chavez music…and now my curiosity is piqued indeed: I want to see it!). And so it was Samuel Barber who crafted the music that became CAVE OF THE HEART; later Barber excerpted his famed piece Medea’s Dance of Vengeance from the score.
Before showing us the work, Janet asked each of the participating dancers to demonstrate a key movement motif from their role; these provide keys to the individual characters. Once the ballet began, the communicative powers of the four dancers – Graham has stripped the Medea story down to the bare essentials – took things beyond the context of a rehearsal: they danced with an expressive clarity that revealed yet again the depth of Graham’s genius.
Miki Orihara’s Medea moved from the torment of jealousy to final triumph in a performance rich in intimate detail, and Tadej Brdnik’s compelling athleticism as Jason perfectly embodied the character’s masculine vanity. At once majestic and lyrical, Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch’s appeared as The Chorus with her elegant wingspan and the face of a goddess. Jacquelyn Elder’s princess was lovely in her bridal innocence and terrifying as Medea’s wedding gift – a poisoned crown – began to work its insidious power. Together these generous artists gave us a richly rewarding evening, so inspiring to watch at close range.
The Martha Graham Dance Company will be at New York’s City Center in March. Details here.
Oberon's Glade 