The Martha Graham Legacy – Lamentation Variations

This year the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates 85 years since Graham’s iconic “Lamentation.”

The Lamentation Variations project, originally conceived to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, asked choreographers to create a spontaneous piece inspired by their reaction to the original Lamentation performance. They were limited to 10 hours of rehearsal time, public domain music or silence, and only basic lighting and costumes.

The audience reception of the performance was so positive that Lamentation Variations has been added to the permanent repertoire of the company. This year, four new variations were commissioned, three of which will be performed at Memorial Hall on April 14 and 15.