Veronica Capriotti – PhD Candidate, University of Edinburgh
What the Martha Graham & Greek Myth initiative presented on the evening of 14 November was perfectly in line with Graham’s lifelong commitment to innovation and striking originality. As part of this year’s 2025 A. G. Leventis Conference – Telling Bodies: A Conference on Corporeal Classical Reception – the audience enjoyed an evening in which live performance of excerpts from Graham’s Greek-themed repertory was interwoven with an illuminating presentation by Dr Nina Papathanasopoulou, professor of Classical Studies at College Year in Athens.
Papathanasopoulou’s voice guided us through a didactic yet sensorial journey, enabling the audience to grasp more deeply what was materialising on stage through the talented, magnetic bodies of the dancers. Sound functioned as an Ariadne’s thread: music; the dancers’ dramatic, rhythmic breathing; the sharp slap of hands upon thighs; and Nina’s steady, insightful commentary led us through the various excerpts from Graham’s works.
Papathanasopoulou explains that the Martha Graham & Greek Myth presentation “was conceived as a way of making the study of the ancient world accessible and appealing to broader and more diverse audiences”. Drawing on sixteen years of teaching Classical Mythology and Greek Theatre, Papathanasopoulou emphasises the importance of studying not only ancient texts and artwork but also the enduring, diachronic impact of Greek myth on modern culture. In this respect, the presentation was unquestionably successful: it highlighted modern dance as a potent medium for communication, connection, and cultural preservation, while underscoring the rich tradition of classical reception in American arts through Graham’s innovative use of Greek myth and her reimagining of ancient heroes.
Penny Diamantopoulou – Graham technique and repertory instructor and former soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble – who trains the dancers and restages excerpts from Graham’s repertory for the Graham & Myth presentations, shared her reflections. “Martha Graham believed that movement never lies, a core philosophy derived from her father, a psychiatrist.” Diamantopoulou went on to explain that Graham’s technique enables dancers to embody primal emotions such as grief, fear, and joy, offering a powerful tool for navigating the emotional complexities and political polarisation of contemporary society. In this sense, both dancers and audiences are offered a cathartic outlet.
The young dancers, Stavros-Alexandros Ikbal, Vassia Kolliou, Marianna Papakonstantinou and Mara Tsourma, all graduates of the National School of Dance in Athens, demonstrated this with remarkable control and expressive breath, imbuing the retelling of Greek myths with pathos through technically demanding gestures that conveyed the intensity of the characters’ inner worlds.
Both Papathanasopoulou and Diamantopoulou also emphasise Graham’s role as an icon of female empowerment, whose works created powerful, multifaceted roles for women at a time when few such opportunities existed. Drawing on Greek myth and historical figures, Graham magnified traits that challenged submissive portrayals and approached myth from the heroine’s perspective. As Diamantopoulou poignantly explained, “In a world still grappling with gender equality and identity, Graham’s work provides a potent model of strength, resilience, and independence.” The female characters we saw that evening – presented through both solo and partnered performances – were intense, liberated, and unmistakably distinct in personality and attitude, articulated through the iconic positions and movements that Graham codified across her career. Graham’s unique vocabulary of gestures invites the viewer to connect not only with ancient culture but also with the possibility of rethinking that culture through the lens of women’s experience.
Among the excerpts performed, we saw Ariadne wrestling with her Minotaur, a physicalisation of her deepest fears; Clytemnestra revisiting the events leading to her downfall; Electra in decisive, forceful movement as she prepares to avenge Agamemnon; and Cassandra, Iphigeneia, and Helen, fluid and serpentine, succumbing to despair, folding into themselves and covering their faces. Papathanasopoulou explained that each character in Graham’s repertory possesses a signature set of movements through which their emotions are expressed. This framework equipped us to appreciate the nuances of each portrayal. As she spoke, the dancers entered one by one, demonstrating these patterns of movement before performing the excerpts, helping us connect gesture to narrative with striking clarity.
Papathanasopoulou also enriched the discussion with images of ancient art and photographs of Graham’s own performances and scenography, sharing episodes of the choreographer’s life that shaped her approach to Greek heroines.
In her earliest works of the 1930s and 1940s, it was clear that Graham’s legacy would be one of continual reinvention. On this point, Diamantopoulou reflects that Graham “revolutionised dance by rooting her works in contemporary social, political, and sexual contexts, a practice that set the stage for future generations of choreographers.” With regard to her own work, Diamantopoulou comments: “As a woman artist, student of her technique, performer of her repertory, and active choreographer, my mission is to explore Graham’s philosophy and legacy more deeply and persistently, always inspired by her ethos. I believe this is the only way to keep the art form fresh and relevant.”
The evening offered us the rare opportunity to reconnect with our own struggles and convictions through the display of raw, unfiltered emotion on stage. It was also an invitation to learn from one of the twentieth century’s greatest dancers and choreographers how, through the body and its expressive potential, we can come to understand both ourselves and others more fully.
To conclude, Papathanasopoulou shared with me a hope that encapsulates the spirit of the initiative: “I hope that audience members will leave with a desire to visit or revisit the ancient myths with fresh eyes, and to rethink the value of both Greek myth and modern dance as vehicles for exploring our human nature.”
For more information on the “Martha Graham & Greek Myth” initiative visit Papathanasopoulou’s website here: http://www.ninapapathanasopoulou.com/martha-graham-greek-myth/