Harlequinade (1930 Graham ballet)

Harlequinade was a solo modern dance by Martha Graham set to music by Ernst Toch. The work premiered on January 8, 1930, at Maxine Elliott's Theatre in New York City. The performance was part of a concert staged by the Dance Repertory Theatre, a group that included dancer/choreographers Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and Helen Tamiris. Their stated goal was "to give annually a season of continuous dance programs which will be representative of the art of dance in America and will give native artists an outlet for their creative work."[1] Other new Graham works on the evening's program were Lamentation and Prelude to a Dance.[2]

Synopsis

Harlequinade was divided into two sections, Pessimist and Optimist. The biting portrait of the Pessimist and subtle portrayal of the Optimist were intended as symbols of all the tragedy and comedy in the world.[3] The accompanying orchestra consisted of flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, drums and voice.[4]

As with much of her early work, little is known about the choreography. Barbara Morgan's photographs of Graham dancing in the Harlequinade costumes are virtually all that is known about the piece.[5] The two outfits were also described in The Christian Science Monitor's 1938 review of a Boston performance. "Here the artist's own costuming - horizontal stripes for the former, billowing black taffeta, with a large red property handkerchief, for the latter, are punctuation marks."[6]

Critical reception

The New York Herald Tribune noted the work displayed "the Graham art at its scintillating best, both penetrating and disarming." The New York Times called it "extremely polished and penetrating."[1] Not all critics found her a credible comedian. In 1932, The New York Sun reported the work was "invalidated by its obvious humor...Miss Graham seems incapable of stylizing this aspect of herself intruding a note of ineffectiveness into the general excellence of what she does."[7]

From later reviews, it appears the dance did not hold up well compared to subsequent choreographic efforts. The February 1936 issue of the Dance Observer contained a critique that noted, "Miss Graham casts a shadow on her earlier powers," adding that her later dances possessed "greater depth and subtlety."[8]

References
  1. "Harlequinade (Ballet choreographed by Martha Graham)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  2. "The Dance Repertory Theatre (program)" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  3. Bell-Kanner, Karen (2012). Frontiers: American Modern Dancer and Dance Educator. New York, New York: Routledge. p. 31.
  4. McPherson, Elizabeth (May 31, 2013). The Bennington School of the Dance: A History in Writings and Interviews. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-7864-7417-2.
  5. Carter, Curtis L.; Morgan, Barbara Brooks (2004). Faces of Modern Dance: Barbara Morgan Photographs (1st ed.). Haggerty Museum of Art/Marquette University. p. 23. ISBN 978-0945366171.
  6. Lloyd, Margaret (November 3, 1938). "None But the Great". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  7. O'Donnell, Mary P. (November 21, 1932). "Miss Graham Dances". The New York Sun. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  8. "Martha Graham". Dance Observer. February 1936. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
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