Demeter and Persephone
Tharp rehearses with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Photo by Jesse Huot.
Dancers of the Martha Graham Dance Company in studio and dress rehearsal.
Tharp in rehearsal with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Photo by Jesse Huot.
Premiere
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Date
13 October 1993
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Company
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Venue
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Location
New York, NY
Production
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Choreographer
Twyla Tharp
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Music by
The Klezmatics,
The West End Klezmorim,
The Klezmer Conservatory Band
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Lighting Designer
Jennifer Tipton
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Costume Designer
Santo Loquasto
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Assistant to Ms. Tharp
Dancers
Christine Dakin, Rika Okamoto, Terese Capucilli
Handmaidens: Joyce Herring, Myra Woodruff
Camille Brown, Floyd Flynn, Peter London, Theresa Maldonado, Miki Orihara
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Number of Dancers
10
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Runtime
00:22:00
Description
Two years after Martha Graham’s death, Tharp created a new work for Graham’s company – the first choreographer ever to do so. “I thought of [her] early female companies and of my female companies,” Tharp recalls. “I thought of Graham as a female artist and how indebted I was to her for all that she has done in that area.” Demeter and Persephone was created as a gift of thanks for her influence and to revisit the technique Tharp studied under Graham in 1962.
Tharp combines Greek mythology and Yiddish theater in this work about mothers, daughters and the matrilineal tradition of modern dance. Christine Dakin, who joined the company in 1976, danced the role of Demeter, while Rika Okamoto danced the role of her daughter Persephone. The final dancer to join the company before Graham’s passing, Okamoto was the last of Graham’s direct lineage.
Past Performances
Twyla Tharp Dance
Fever – Octet – Demeter and Persephone – In The Upper Room | Twyla Tharp Dance
New York, NY
September 14 1993 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Fever – Sextet – Demeter & Persephone – Nine Sinatra Songs – Baker's Dozen | Twyla Tharp Dance
New York, NY
September 15 1993 TTD Performance
Martha Graham Dance Company
Demeter And Persephone (premiere) | Martha Graham Dance Company
New York, NY
October 13 1993 Premiere
- 1993