The Clark Art Institute will collaborate with fellow Berkshires arts institution Jacob’s Pillow, hosting a free pop-up performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company on its Williamstown campus on Aug.18 from 1–3 PM. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will move indoors.
The company will perform three works by the celebrated choreographer Martha Graham, known for her experimental, boundary pushing dance works rooted in contemporary social, political, psychological, and sexual contexts. “Diversion of Angels” (1948), “Lamentation” (1930) and “Ekstasis” (1933) will be performed in the Clark’s landscape and galleries as well as various locations in and around the Clark’s reflecting pool.
The day will also include a new, interactive creative project performed by the company dancers and the audience, “The 19 Poses.”
The “19 Poses for the 19th Amendment” project was created in celebration of the upcoming 2020 centennial celebrating the adoption of the 19th amendment, which granted American women the right to vote.
Artistic Director Janet Eilber and the dancers will teach Clark visitors the “19 poses” on the Fernández Terrace of the Clark Center. Visitors will then have the opportunity to photograph themselves in the poses, post them on social media and keep them as mementos.
The Martha Graham Company will be performing at The Clark as part of their week-long engagement at Jacob’s Pillow. There the company will present “The EVE Project,” a two-year project further celebrating the 19th amendment centennial that presents a more comprehensive range of the company founder and choreographer’s works alongside brand new works by some of the dance scene’s leading women.
Imbued with the legacy of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham, the acclaimed American company is appearing at the Clark as part of a week-long engagement (Aug. 14-17 at the Ted Shawn Theatre. $45-78) at the Jacob’s Pillow Festival 2019. The company will present The EVE Project, in celebration of female power and the upcoming suffrage centennial. This two-year project presents a comprehensive range of Graham’s classics alongside new commissions by some of today’s leading female voices, providing entree into today’s most pressing conversations.
