Proposal for Seattle Graham History/Legacy Project:

A symposium on the past, present, and future of Graham in the Pacific Northwest

"I think that during the period when Martha was working in Seattle, in 1930, she was making a lot of discoveries." -Deborah Jowitt, from Choreography and Dance--An International Journal, Vol. 5 pt. 2

 

Overview of legacy:

A two year research and instruction project to culminate in video, photo, and analytical study resources of the state of, and future needs for, Graham Technique in the greater Seattle metro area including the region of the Pacific Northwest.

-Though not yet deeply-enough archived locally, or used thoroughly in the understanding of the dance scene in contemporary Seattle as it explores its new aesthetic past the mantles of the techniques of the early modern and post-modern figures (as the number of educators and choreographers directly connected to the history and practice of the technique is small comparatively), this “emerald city” in the sound has a long and dynamic history connected to the works and teachings of Martha Graham.

Most notable are the discoveries of Bonnie Bird and Merce Cunningham during Martha’s time teaching at Cornish College of the Arts in the 1930’s, the impact of Graham's early time in Seattle on influential artists/patrons such as Nell Fisher. This period also highlights many first-hand accounts of the developments of Graham Technique at places throughout the community.

In a symposium on the early years of the technique hosted by the Journal of Choreography and Dance, a story was recounted of students, Bird among them, running through Seattle’s Volunteer Park, finding a “large rock,” and using it as an example of the particular momentum that Martha had been asking for in her work at Cornish’s Kerry Hall—work which developed several of the key aspects of the “early period” of Graham’s technique.

Many students have developed since then in the cradle of Seattle’s modern dance scene. There have also been strides towards community impact and decades of instruction through Phyllis Legters in the 60's(at both the Russian Community Center and the Madrona Dance Studios--the latter of which is now home to Spectrum Dance Theater), Patricia Hon (pupil and friend of Mary Hinkson, nationally recognized choreographer, and most notable local Graham educator-impacting countless students) for a continuous four decades, Dean Speer (professor at University of Washongton, dance author, and former Graham School demonstrator)...and most recently myself having moved here three years ago.

Graham’s long-scope impact can be connected to many other locations in the city—whether in the example of the collaborative efforts with modern sculptors such as Alexander Calder (whose large scale work The Eagle is permanently installed at Olympic Sculpture Park), the spiraling quotes on the glass wall outside of Seattle Children’s Theatre in Seattle Center where Graham's famous "There is a vitality..." quote connects with other empowerments (mere steps away from the Space Needle), or the rare photos of Graham’s time teaching here, which were prominently on display at Edmond’s Cascadia Museum.

Many living Graham “icons” and former-company members have familial connections to the Pacific Northwest, including Kristin Lodoen, Katherine Crockett, and Catherine Cabeen (to name a few), and the impact displayed through either the training of or aesthetics used by current dance artists reaches deep to include transplants to the area from Ailey/Fordham’s program, The Graham School, artists such as Donald Byrd, and the constantly inquisitive and "doom-eager," as Martha might have called them, trail-blazing artists that make up the local dance community.

 

Symposium Program Goals:

 

Year One: Three technique classes and one lecture; **Year two: five technique classes, workshop in Graham-based choreography, daily group discussions of theory and philisophical tenants of the movement principles inherent in Graham Technique

 

Daily two-hour class in Graham Technique and one hour discussion on certain topics: History and Development of various periods in Graham, Connection to other modern forms (music and 3-d visual arts), relevancy to today’s dance artist, or similar themes.

 

Final Day: a lecture panel with teaching artists, open to the community, “The History and Legacy of Graham Technique in Seattle, and its place in the growing contemporary dance communities”

*Lecture Panelists to include all teaching artists

 

Proposed teaching artists:

Kristin Lodoen, former Graham Company dancer, photographer, and educator (is already planning to be in Seattle mid-summer beginning at the end of July)

Patricia Hon, trained with Mary Hinkson and led Graham classes at Cornish College of the Arts (resides in Seattle)

Joshua Crouch, Former Principal of The School of Spectrum Dance Theater and alum of The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance (resides in Seattle)

Dean Speer, University of Washington, author On Technique, former demonstrator Graham School

Sharon ?- former Graham Companydance artist, Seattle native

 

 

*If  financing beyond a minimal operational budget is acquired, I would like to reach out to David Chase, former Graham Company dancer and educator who resides in San Francisco, and Jennifer (DePalo) Peterson, former Graham Company Dancer and Gyro instructor currently residing in Boulder CO, for either additional teaching, participation in the panel discussion, or both. I will also reach out to any friends/mentors in the Graham community to see if others may have plans or current projects bringing them close enough to consider involvement.

 

Additional panelists/educators to invite:

Victoria Watts, current Dance Dept. Chair at Cornish College of the Arts

Donald Byrd, Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater

Eva Stone, community educator/figurehead and curator of Chop Shop Dance Festival

Jennifer Salk, Assoc. Proff. & Dance Program Dir., University of Washington

Hannah Wiley*, Dance Reconstruction and Modern Dance Proff., U of Washington *Director Chamber Dance Company (reconstruction of iconic modern masterworks)

Tonya Lockyear, Director of Velocity Dance Center

***SEATTLE-connected Graham persons: Sharon, Bill, Nell F.,

 

Additional Program Information:

-All classes and discussions would be videoed, audio recorded, and transcribed for transmittal to the archives at The Graham Center and Cornish College of the Arts.

 

-All proceeds from program attendance, after cost, would be donated to the Martha Graham Legacy Project, Archives, Resources, or most relevant program in that vein.***

 

-Advanced participants from the technique classes may be invited to take part in a photo-documentation project of the historically important sites (mentioned in the Overview of Legacy), wherein dancers will create images of the iconic aesthetics or technical exercises in or around the important features. Photographic project to take place over the last two days of the week of the symposium (weather permitting), and would ideally be a cross-discipline collaboration with Kristin Lodoen or emerging Seattle-based photographers such as Marcia Davis.

 

*Graham and Graham-based modern classes will be taking place throughout the summer to allow for exploration of the technique as a means to cultivate more awareness, training, and investigation of the concepts/ideas presented in the symposium. See Community Outreach below.

 

Proposed Dates:

YEAR ONE:

July 31-August 5, 2017 for main Symposium

June 18th-July 30th for pre-Symposium community outreach.

 

YEAR TWO:

Aug. 5-11, 2018 for Main Symposium

July 5-Aug. 5 for pre-Symposium community outreach.

 

Symposium Location:

The School of Spectrum Dance Theater at the historic Madrona Dance Studios

 

Community Outreach prior to Symposium:

Lead up to program with community outreach through Joshua Crouch's Graham In The Park program, providing at least two free classes a month throughout various Seattle parks (one of last year's park classes took place in the lawn in front of and around Calder's The Eagle with percussion provided by local dance accompanist Devin Bews).

*all time donated, zero cost program

 

Locations, Dates, and Times for 2017 “Graham in the Park” classes:

June 18th, Cal Anderson Park (Capital Hill Neighborhood) 4:00-5:45pm

June 25th, Olympic Sculpture Park (Belltown/Downtown Neighborhoods) 4:00-5:45pm

July 9th, Golden Gardens (Fremont/Ballard/ northern Neighborhoods) 4:00-5:45pm

July 23rd, Volunteer Park (Capital Hill Neighborhood, key legacy point) 4:00-5:45pm

July 30th, MLK Park (Beacon Hill/Columbia City/SODO Neighborhoods) 4:00-5:45pm

*similar structure of times will be utilized for 2018

 

Cost:

-Full cost of programming to be adjusted based on availability of participants, city arts and culture grant requirements, donations, and income from classes/workshops.

 

-Without funding the program income is reflected as such:

With only ten (10) participants over three (3) days, at a cost of $25 per workshop day, the program can generate $750.00. At maximum attendance (twenty-two participants) the program would generate $1,705.00—enough to cover minimum cost and contribute a small portion to the services/resources mentioned above. ***

 

2017 attendance was minimal, but provided enough income to cover the cost of guest instructor Kristen Loedon.

-additional marketing and social media outreach will be utilized for 2018 including an earlier release of program dates (2018 dates first announced at Spectrum Dance Theater show in Dec. 2017, and sent as part of summer programming mailers nationally in January 2018).

 

-Local Dance Institutions having received some form of Graham or Graham-based instruction:

Northwest Dance Intensive, Whidbey Island Dance, Bainbridge Dance Center, The School of Spectrum Dance Theater, Cornish College of the Arts, International Ballet Theater, ARC School of Ballet, The Studios, Velocity Dance Center, Dance Fremont,

 

-Submitting Grant Application to cover $1,000.00 of cost to Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture