Graham100 Programming

Presented by the CTAC School of Ballet

This event is part of a global celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company, the country’s oldest dance company.

This program honors Graham’s pioneering legacy with stagings of two of her most renowned dance works, “Appalachian Spring” (1944) and “Lamentation” (1930). Project Director Peter Sparling, former Graham principal dancer, also reimagines Graham's 1938 dance/theater piece, “American Document” as a community collaboration that explores local and personal histories gleaned from testimonials of a cross-section of members of the local population. “Our Own American Document” boldly fuses dance, music and the spoken word as it asks what it means to be an American living in a democracy in the Little Traverse Bay area.

Great Lakes Center for the Arts' Next Gen program students will enjoy a special opportunity to learn about and experience the art of storytelling through dance. Narrated by Peter Sparling, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and former Principal Dancer for the Martha Graham Dance Company, this ‘lecture-demonstration’ is part of a national, 100th anniversary celebration of Martha Graham’s artistry and profound impact on the world of dance.

Including historical insights and well-known music from Appalachian Spring, the performance features dancers from northern Michigan performing well-known works created by Martha Graham. We don’t always need words to communicate; this unique event will engage, teach, and inspire middle and high school students with stories told through movement, costumes and music.

This performance features two of Graham's iconic works, Appalachian Spring (1944), starring CTAC School of Ballet dancers and alums, and Lamentation (1930), starring Marie Millard as the dancer and Thomas Nickell on piano. This performance also includes Our Own American Document, an original work of Peter Sparling 's modeled after Graham's 1938 masterwork, American Document. Our Own American Document features the oral histories of local citizens.