Videos documenting Graham’s technique

The Graham technique™ is taught in major dance schools, universities, colleges, and dance companies around the world. Several projects in the past few years have provided greater knowledge of and access to this extraordinary legacy.

Hereby some media resources that document the technique and how to approach it.

Terpsikon - Martha Graham's dance technique

by Christine Dakin

Christine Dakin, former principal dancer and Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company, shares her deep knowledge of Graham’s revolutionary technique through the dancers bodies, original music, visual metaphor and her poetic and practical commentary.

The Terpsikon’s fundamental floor and standing sequences are an invaluable resource for the understanding and appreciation of Martha Graham’s technique™ for teachers, students, performers - and for anyone interested in the creative life, and a deeper knowledge of Martha Graham’s dance.

Mexican and American professional dancers and musicians, trained in contemporary and traditional dance forms show the rigor, beauty of Martha Graham’s technique™ and its connection to other art forms and to the natural world.

Where to find it? vimeo.com/ondemand/terpsikonenglishlanguage

Dance Spotlight is dedicated to preserving performing dance techniques for dancers, teachers, scholars and performers of all types and to help make dance appealing and accessible to broader audiences.  In the last years, they have produced 2 Graham technique DVDs to assure that these valuable artistic contributions are not lost.  

Graham Technique - Beginning Level

by Miki Orihara and Susan Kikuchi

Beginning Level. This DVD introduces you to the important elements of Graham Technique™ Beginning Level : the contraction, release and spiral, driven by the torso and pelvis. It was directed by Miki Orihara, principal dancer with the Graham Company for 27 years, and the Associate Dance Director, Susan Kikuchi, a former member of the Graham Company and Director of the Graham Ensemble and School.

Plus, there are two enlightening sections of interviews of former Graham dancers: Essentials of Martha Graham Technique™ and Teaching Graham.

Where to find it? http://www.dancespotlight.com/ or https://vimeo.com/ondemand/grahambeginning

Graham Technique - Intermediate Level

by Penny Frank

Penny Frank teaches a unique Graham class, selecting exercises from the Graham syllabus, but combining and mixing the movement studies to create longer and different combinations and a greater variety of movement studies. Penny Frank still teaches Martha Graham’s technique at the Ailey School in NYC. She has taught in many schools in the US and abroad, including the Martha Graham School, Juilliard and the Bat-Dor Studios in Israel.

Where to find it? http://www.dancespotlight.com/

Lawrence ‘Reed’ Hansen: The Sacrosanct Accompanist-A Musical Journey through Martha Graham’s Dance Technique
by Terese Capucilli

Juilliard dance faculty member, and former principal dancer and artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Terese Capucilli, in 2014 was awarded a Special Project Grant from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA to begin work on documenting the vast wealth of knowledge of dance accompanist, Lawrence ‘Reed’ Hansen.

As both documentary and an educational tool which focuses on Graham’s 'floor-work' vocabulary, this DVD reveals the journey of a dedicated life and gives us an inside look at the technique, uncommonly and solely from the perspective of the accompanist.

Where to find it? https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sacrosanctaccompanist or email terese@sacrosanctaccompanist.com