Wednesday October 14th, 2015 - The Martha Graham Dance Company premiered Mats Ek's AXE at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in August 2015, and will give the work's New York premiere at NY City Center in April 2016 as part of the Company’s 90th Anniversary celebration. This evening, friends and fans of the Graham Company gathered for a studio preview of the Ek duet, which was danced by Company principals Ben Schultz (above) and PeiJu Chien-Pott (below).
These studio events at the Graham homespace at Westbeth on Bethune Street are a great bonus for the Company's many avid followers: whether introducing us to a new work or delving into explorations of the established classics of the Graham repertoire, we are given an opportunity to experience the works in an intimate setting and have an insider's look at the creative or re-creative process. And of course there is also the genuine thrill of encountering the phenomenal Graham dancers at close range.
The staged version of AXE is based on a work Ek originally created on film. It is an intense domestic-drama duet which revolves around a man splitting wood, observed by his long-time mate. Layered in subtle sheets of emotion, the work takes on a profound quality that transcends the physical action. In a stroke of genius, Ek sets the duet to music of Tomaso Albinoni, giving it a timeless quality.
Janet Eilber, the Graham Company's artistic director, spoke of her long-held desire to have an Ek work in the Company's repertoire, and of how it came to pass, thru chance and persistence. In brief, four Graham dancers - PeiJu Chien-Pott, Anne O'Donnell, Ben Schultz, and Lloyd Knight - traveled to Sweden where the choreographer worked with them to transform his film into a live dancework. The result is nothing less than extraordinary.
Prior to showing us a full run-thru of the work, Ms. Eilber queried the four dancers about their experience of working with the choreographer who, it seems, was both detail-oriented and enigmatic. PeiJu and Ben then demonstrated key phrases from the ballet before presenting an absolutely stunning 'performance' of AXE that literally gave me goosebumps.
AXE will be a must-see ballet when the Company celebrate their 90th anniversary at City Center in April 2016. It fits superbly into the Graham repertoire, and dance-lovers owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Eilber for having secured it for us.
PeiJu Chien-Pott (above) heralds the coming season...I cannot wait!