No name looms larger in the history of American dance than Martha Graham.
After the 2006 conclusion of a tumultuous court battle over the ownership of her works, her company has been back in action, appearing Tuesday evening as part of the Newman Center Presents series at the University of Denver.
Given that Graham died nearly 20 years ago, there were inevitable questions about her legacy and this reformulated version of her company.
Among them: Are the dance pioneer’s works still relevant and worth performing in the 21st century? And could these dancers — none of whom probably even met her — do justice to them? The answer to both is a resounding yes.
In contrast to the airiness and refinement of ballet, Graham’s dances tend to be grounded and angular, with a bold, sometimes ritualistic sense of theatricality.
In simple terms, her technique revolves around the notion of contraction and release. The movement springs from the torso, specifically the diaphragm and pelvis, in what Agnes de Mille called “a spasm of percussive force.”
All these trademark elements were in evidence Tuesday, especially in Graham’s first masterpiece, “Lamentation” (1930), a taut, stark and moving evocation of grief that still seems radical even now.
Potently realized by Katherine Crockett, the solo is performed with the dancer wearing a kind of fabric tube. Remaining seated nearly the entire time, she sways and stretches, writhes and wilts, in angular, stylized fashion.
Ending the first half was “Lamentation Variations” (2007), an inventive attempt by the company to connect Graham to the present. It asked three young choreographers to create new works that respond to the classic while remaining true to their voices.
The most striking of the three was the first variation by Bulareyaung Pagarlava. The quartet included recognizable echoes of “Lamentation,” but its emphatic, sharply defined style was fresh and distinctive.
The first half was a useful, not overdone tutorial on Graham’s beginnings, with short dances mixed with photos, film clips and commentary.
All in all, it was a rewarding evening of discovery and rediscovery from a company worthy of its namesake.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
