Lamentation is a solo modern dance choreographed and first performed by Martha Graham in 1930, in which a single dancer remains seated on a low bench for the entire piece, encased in a tube of stretch jersey fabric that is pulled, twisted and distorted by her movements to visualize grief itself rather than depict a specific mourning figure. Graham described the work as an attempt to show grief as a condition that alters and overtakes the body from within, using the tension between the dancer's motion and the fabric's resistance to embody her developing technique of contraction and release. It is regarded as a landmark early work of American modern dance and one of the clearest early statements of Graham's choreographic language.
Facts
Year Created MediumA modern dance solo choreographed to music, performed with the soloist seated on a low bench for the entire piece 1 Primary MaterialA tube-like garment of purple stretch jersey fabric worn by the soloist, distorted by her movement 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationLamentation (ballet) (Wikipedia), lead section
Lamentation is a modern dance solo choreographed by Martha Graham to Zoltán Kodály's 1910 Piano Piece, Op. 3, No. 2.
Lamentation (ballet) (Wikipedia), Theme and structure section
She wears a loose purple tube-like garment from which only her head, hands and feet protrude.
Lamentation (ballet) (Wikipedia), lead section, premiere date
One of Graham's signature works, it premiered on January 8, 1930 at Maxine Elliott's Theatre in New York City.
Genre reference
Lamentation is a solo modern dance choreographed and first performed by Martha Graham in 1930, in which a single dancer remains seated on a low bench for the entire piece, encased in a tube of stretch jersey fabric that is pulled, twisted and distorted by her movements to visualize grief itself rather than depict a specific mourning figure.
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