Bonnie Costello, “Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring and Ours”

Wednesday, April 19 – Bonnie Costello, “Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring and Ours”

Martha Graham developed her ballet about the American frontier in the midst of WW2. Her scripts and extensive correspondence with Aaron Copeland reveal much about her struggle to make an enduring image of American place and character, rather than a piece of nostalgia. Bonnie Costello says, “I saw the ballet at Jacob’s Pillow dance festival on its 75th anniversary, just before the pandemic shut down all live performance. I will discuss the ballet’s continuing relevance in our own time of crisis, and the power of dance performance to create dynamic paradigms for growth and renewal.”