Cytemnestra Video

I was very inspired to watch the video of Cytemnestra last night as a student of the Martha Graham Company Workshop at Skidmore College. In repertory class, we are learning Name Calling sections of Cytemnestra, and I have been working on the character of Cassandra. The performance of Janet Eilber as Cassandra truly showed the power of a dancer’s strong development of character. Graham’s choreography demands not only solid technical skills but also intense commitment to each character. Watching Janet’s performance, as well as the entire work of Cytemnestra, helped me better understand the depth of each character and see potential ways to physically express the intentions of each character. During the “talk-back session” after the video, Janet and Peter Sparling discussed that Martha often spoke about the muscular connections between the body and the facial muscles. This comment truly helped drive me to work out of my comfort zone and explore the possibilities of expression within the choreography and technique of Martha Graham.