Programme

Diversion of Angels (premiered on 13 August 1948 )
Music: Norman Dello Joio

Acts of Light (premiered on 26 February 1981)
Music: Carl Nielsen

Maple Leaf Rag (premiered on 2 October 1990 )
Music: Scott Joplin. The last completed ballet by Martha Graham 

• Diversion of Angels

Choreography and Costumes by Martha Graham
Costumes constructed by Asalia Khadjé 
Music by Norman Dello Jolo
Premiere: August 13, 1948

Dancers
White Couple: Sophie Ketelslegers & Ilan Gulmez-Grangier 
Red Couple: Mia Leishman & Davide Antico
Yellow Couple: Rosa Reyre & Maxene Friderich
4th man: Beau Dobbe 
Chorus: Jenna Wolf, Manon Cirès, Ciara Sallons, Angelica Bertino

“The city seemed to stand in Eden or to be built in heaven… The dust and stones of the streets were as precious as gold… Eternity was manifested in the light of day, and something infinite beyond everything appeared, which spoke to my expectation and stirred my desire… The men! Immortal cherubim! And young men glittering, and sparkling angels, and maids as seraphic pieces of life and beauty. Boys and girls tumbling in the streets and playing were moving jewels. I knew not that they were born or should die… The streets were mine, and so were the sun and moon and stars, and all the world was mine, and I the only spectator and enjoyer of it.” - Thomas Traherne

• Acts of Light

Choreography by Martha Graham
Music by Carl Nielsen
Costumes by Halston
Costumes constructed by Asalia Khadjé 
Premiere:  February 26, 1981

Dancers
Conversation of Lovers: Marilyn Lula & Kai Hannigan
Lament: Dalina Bagheri
Filip Tóth, David Tengblad, Štěpán Hejna, Nicolò Fiorini, Tomás Serrano Correia
Ritual to the Sun: Marilyn Lula & Kai Hannigan, Valeria Khodakivska, Ine Bervoets, Jenny Chen, Štěpán Hejna, Nicolò Fiorini, Tomás Serrano Correia, Dalina Bagheri, Filip Tóth, David Tengblad, Julia Batiz
 

“Thank you for all the acts of light which beautified a summer now past to its reward.” - Taken from a letter by Emily Dickinson (no. 951) to Mrs. J. Howard Sweetser, late autumn 1884

• Maple Leaf Rag

Choreography by Martha Graham
Costumes by Calvin Klein
Costumes constructed by Asalia Khadjé 
Music by Scott Joplin*
Set arranged by Mario Camacho & Willem Remmelink
Premiere: October 2, 1990

Dancers
Lead couple: Jenna Wolff & David Tengblad
All Dancers: Angelica Bertino, Dalina Bagheri, Davide Antico, Manon Cirès, Beau Dobbe, Sophie Ketelslegers, Ilan Gulmez-Grangier, Valeria Khodakivska, Nicolò Fiorini, Jenny Chen, Kai Hannigan, Rosa Reyre, Maxence Friderich, Ciara Sallons, Pau Aymerich Reyes, Marilyn Lula, Til Schuffenhauer, Tomás Serrano Correia, Daan Vandermeersch, Mia Leishman, Ine Bervoets, Štěpán Hejna, Ben Schubert, Aurora Bertoncelli, Júlia Batiz, Filip Tóth

*Elite Syncopations (1902), Bethena – Ragtime Waltz (1905) and Maple Leaf Rag (1899) arranged by Chris Landriau
Martha Graham, dubbed “Mirthless Martha” by her musical director Louis Horst, would, when frustrated by a new dance, turn and say, “Oh, Louis, play me the Maple Leaf Rag” – the only thing that would cheer her.

Musicians

Flute 1: Romane Dudaczyk; Flute 2: Katarina Lozar; Piccolo/Flute: Lídia Paixão; Oboe 1: Julian Wan; Oboe 2: Francisca Ferreira Pinto de Paulo Almeida; Clarinet 1: Deniz Gülbeyaz, Maria Mota; Clarinet 2: Nynke Dijkstra, Emma Bullot, Sofia Guillen; Bassoon 1: Javier Lozano Cuéllar; Bassoon 2: Patricia Barreiro Perez; Horn 1: Júlia Parente; Horn 2: Joao Lopes (Den Haag Student); Horn 3: Thomas Lieshout; Horn 4: Ryam Lam; Trumpet 1: Rafael Ribeiro; Trumpet 2: Kieran Naoura; Trumpet 3: Gorkem Gyuney Trombone 1: Gabrielle Lavoie; Trombone 2: Eunseong Kim; Trombone /Bass: Jesse Leckie; Tuba: Steven le Maitre; Piano (solo pieces): Işıl Gazi; Timpani /Percussion: Maria Gómez Rangel, Román Angulo Machado, Romain Cazanave, NoYa Chen, Hugo Fernandez Sanz; Violin 1: Lluc Montmany, Mariana Cabral Monteiro, Giulia Soli, Alexandros Typou, Juan Antonio Lucena, Maggie Burns, Tristán Savoye Matamoros, Madalena Lopes, Dionysis Pylarinos, Beatriz Duarte Silva, Helena Gomes Ferreira, Per Torjuul,  Vladena Mineva; Violin 2: Gabriela Assunção, Rita de Abreu, Nikolas Papadakis, Lefteris Tzortzakis, Freke van Krimpen, Gonçalo Ribeiro, Samuel Caneira Fernandes, Susanna Saluste, Ivana van der Wende, Beatriz Ferreira Cruz, Shengkang Zhou, Diana Felipe Rodrigues Lapa; Viola: Ana Andújar, Martina Trevisan, Vera Broek, Adam Habram, Paultje Klerx, Arielle Chuvin, Isaura Lafebber; Cello: Enrica Mondo, João Sá, Tjitte van den Bedem, Pedro Oliveira, Laura Torres, Beatriz Costa, Nectaria Alexa

Credits 

Codarts Rotterdam

Chairman of the Board - David Lauwen 
Director of Education - Caroline Harder 
Head of Classical Music - Mark Vondenhoff 
Coordinators Music & Dance - Mikel Fernandez, Keith Derrick Randolph 

Performance Martha Graham

Rehearsal and Stage Director - Mario Camacho 
Assistant Rehearsal Director - Samuela Papotto
Assistant - Keith Derrick Randolph
Costumes by Martha Graham, Halston, Calvin Klein, 
Costumes Constructed by Asalia Khadjé 
Costume Assistant - Jorrien Schoneveld
Scenery - Mario Camacho, Willem Remmelink 
Lighting Designer - Maarten van Dorp 
Video Recording - Anton Doornhein
Production - Ellen Dijkstra, Jose Minarro
Floormanager - Ellen Dijkstra, Jesus Fabre Lasheras
Photographer - Yander van der Wurff

Martha Graham (1894-1991) is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th Century. She was named “Dancer of the Century” by Time and has been compared with other creative giants such as Picasso, Einstein, Stravinsky and Freud. She created 181 ballets and a technique that revolutionized dance throughout the greater part of the past century. Using the founding principals of contraction and release, she built a vocabulary of movement to “increase the emotional activity of the dancer’s body,” exploring the depth and diversity of human emotion. Her ballets were inspired by a wide range of sources from the American frontier to Greek Mythology. She created and portrayed prominent women, including Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Medea, Phaedra, Joan of Arc and Emily Dickinson. During her 70 years of creating dance, she collaborated with other great artists –Noguchi, Copland, Barber and Schuman, and her mentor Louis Horst among others, and is recognized for her groundbreaking work in all aspects of the theater –use of time, space, lighting, costumes, sets and music. Her company was a training ground for many generations of choreographers including Cunningham, Taylor and Tharp. At the Neighborhood Playhouse, she is said to have changed the course of American acting through students such as Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Tony Randall and Orson Wells. Her creative genius earned numerous honors and awards, including the Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of the Arts. Martha Graham’s extraordinary legacy lives on in the work of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Ensemble and School, and in the students worldwide studying her technique and performing her masterworks.

Mario Camacho a native of Port Lavaca Texas began his dance career at Texas Christian University under the direction of Jerry Bywaters Cochran. Upon receiving scholarships to both the Martha Graham School and Alvin Ailey School of Contemporary Dance he moved to New York City, in 1984.  He joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1985 and eventually became a Principal Dancer, dancing many of the lead male roles over the years as well as works by Twyla Tharp and Robert Wilson. He was a founding member of Mark Dendy Dance, Pascal Rioult Dance Theater and Martha@Mother with Richard Move as well as working with numerous choreographers. He also appeared on Broadway in the Musical The King and I and in Music Videos of Bruce Springsteen and Chakha Kahn. Currently he is a faculty member at the Royal Conservatory of the Arts in Den Haag and Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and gives workshops in the Martha Graham Technique throughout Europe.

Sander Teepen (1981, The Netherlands) is a conductor known for his energetic, collaborative style and strong connection with musicians and audiences. Originally trained as an oboist at the Fontys Conservatory, he developed a passion for conducting and studied with renowned teachers including Jan Stulen and Jorma Panula. He gained international recognition through several competition prizes and has since worked with leading orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Metropole Orchestra. Teepen served as assistant conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (2018–2022) and is currently affiliated with Codarts Rotterdam.

Samuela is a repetiteur and Graham assistant at Codarts. She began her dance training in Sicily and graduated from Codarts in Rotterdam in 2016. Since then, she has worked as a freelance dancer, collaborating with choreographers and companies including Krisztina de Châtel, C.I.E MESS, Simbarashe Dzowa and Isabelle Beernaert. Her work has taken her to productions across Europe and beyond. At Codarts, Samuela supports students throughout the rehearsal process with an open and non-judgmental approach. She connects closely to the choreographer’s vision and translates it clearly to the dancers. With her elegant physicality and strong stage presence, she contributes significantly to the Martha Graham repertoire and the artistic development of the students.