SUMMER INTENSIVE EVENTS 2026
In addition to daily classes and creative workshops, the intensive will include a series of free events for all participants. These events are designed to immerse attendees in the legacy of Martha Graham while deepening their understanding of her technique and artistic vision.
Taking place on the final day of the intensive, Wednesday, July 15, at the auditorium of the Conservatoire de Noisy-le-Sec, the program will conclude with the following performances:
- “Martha Graham & Greek Myth” lecture-performance led by Classical Studies Professor Nina Papathanasopoulou of the College Year in Athens.
- Performances by renowned Graham artists: Lorenzo Pagano in Immediate Tragedy (1937) , and Jesse Factor in The Marthaodyssey, a playful fusion of Martha Graham and Madonna.
Together, these events offer a portrait of Graham’s legacy in motion, reimagined contemporary bodies, myth, memory, and theatrical experimentation.
MONDAY JULY 6
at Auditorium du Conservatoire de Noisy-le-Sec 41 Rue Saint-Denis, 93130 Noisy-le-Sec
17h45-19h
100 Years Later: Why Does Martha Graham Still Move Through Bodies?
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
With Rafael Molina, Graham For Europe’s Artistic Director
This inaugural talk asks why Martha Graham continues to move through bodies a century after the founding of her company. Drawing on history, personal experience, and situated perspectives, Rafael Molina questions the notion of a singular and timeless “Graham legacy” and proposes instead a plurality of legacies, each rooted in distinct realities and lived experiences.
THURSDAY JULY 9
at Salle des fêtes de la Mairie de Paris Centre 2 Rue Eugène Spuller, 75003 Paris
18h30-19h30
Carrying Graham:
Gender and Transmission in a Moving Legacy
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
A conversation on gender within the legacy of Martha Graham, moderated by G4EU Artistic Director Rafael Molina
With Christine Dakin, a leading exponent of the Graham repertory who continues to perform, we reflect on what it means to embody this work as a woman. Drawing on roles Martha Graham created for herself, Dakin offers her perspective: how does Martha’s work sit within, alongside, or beyond feminism?
Lorenzo Pagano, Director of Resources at the Martha Graham Center, performs Immediate Tragedy (1937), created in response to the Spanish Civil War. Once danced by Graham, the work (long considered lost) has been reimagined from archival traces. Now performed by a man, it reopens a wider question across the repertory: who carries these roles, and how do they transform across bodies and time?
Jesse Factor presents The Marthaodyssey, a queer reimagining of Graham’s world. Blending modernist rigor with pop excess, and drawing inspiration from both Graham and Madonna, the piece unfolds as part archive, part spectacle, part drag, where lineage becomes a space of play: what happens when bodies outside its original gender framework take on this work?
19h30-20h30
Archive Projection & Discussion
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
This rare archival film from the 1980s offers a glimpse into a Summer Intensive at the Martha Graham School. Classes, company rehearsals, and interviews reveal the spirit of the School and the presence of Martha Graham guiding the work.
Courtesy of the Martha Graham Resources. Presented with the permission of the Martha Graham Center.
WEDNESDAY JULY 15
(11H-17H)
at Auditorium du Conservatoire de Noisy-le-Sec 41 Rue Saint-Denis, 93130 Noisy-le-Sec
10h15-11h
participants SHOWINGS
Works from Advanced Pro and Intermediate creative workshops
12h-12h45
Screening The Martha Graham Technique 1/2
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
This seminal archival film (May 1975) documents the foundational principles and movement vocabulary of the Graham technique. It showcases company dancers demonstrating core exercises that revolutionized modern dance.
Performed by The Martha Graham Dance Company, filmed under the supervision of Martha Graham, assisted by Ross Parkes.
Courtesy of the Martha Graham Resources. Presented with the permission of the Martha Graham Center.
12h45-13h00
“GrahamBelAraby” presentation
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
Introduction to GrahamBelAraby, a new initiative dedicated to Graham-based activities across the Arabic speaking world. Looking back at previous initiatives and ahead to 2027 and beyond, we will present our vision for fostering meaningful exchanges, educational opportunities, and artistic collaborations.
lunch break
13h45-14h30
participants SHOWINGS
Works from Inter-Advanced and Beginner creative workshops
14h30-15h30
Screening The Martha Graham Technique 2/2
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
Continuation of the 1975 archival film documenting the core principles and movement vocabulary of the Graham technique.
Following the screening of this precious archive, Lorenzo Pagano, Director of Martha Graham Resources, will speak about the programs offered at the Graham School and share perspectives on the institution’s ongoing work and future direction in New York.
Special performances
15h30-16h15
Martha Graham & Greek Myth
(50 min)
[ Talk In 🇬🇧 with interpretation in 🇫🇷 and 🇪🇸 ]
Martha Graham and Greek Myth is an initiative combining classical philology and live dance aimed to underline the timeless value of Greek myth and the significance of modern dance as a vehicle for communication, connection, and preservation of the cultural heritage of Greece.
16h30-16h50
Jesse Factor in "The Martha Odyssey” - Lamentation/Open your Heart
Lorenzo Pagano in “Immediate Tragedy” by Martha Graham
Jesse Factor in "The Martha Odyssey” - Satyric/Holiday
16h50-17h
Final Thanks & Certificates
