Martha Graham's American Document – Saturday, October 23

ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living, Art, and Design) will present a new adaptation of Martha Graham’s American Document at the City Opera House in Traverse City on Saturday, October 23 at 8:00 pm. Directed by Gretchen Eichberger, this production is the first civic version in the nation, and has been granted special permission by the Martha Graham Foundation as part of their Political Dance Project.

Premiering in the 1930s this experimental dance work incorporated vaudevillian structures, folk rhythms, and spoken text to examine the conflict and the ever evolving questions; “What is America? and What is an American?” The work debuted last month and writer, educator, and musician Norm Wheeler says “It was brilliant, intense, and moving, reminding us that there is art that we just consume, and then original art that really moves us.”

It will include excerpts from Michigan-born and Pulitzer-prize winning author, Bruce Catton’s Waiting for the Morning Train, a novel that describes growing up in northern Michigan. Read more about Graham and the production right here. A highly creative and multitalented group of musicians, dancers, activists, craftsman and filmmakers of the cast; Holly Wren Spaulding of Maple City, Tim Joseph of Brethren, Hughthir White of Empire, Stephen Kelly of Bear Lake, Brooke Beuby of Clearwater Township, James Weston, Jamaica Lynn Weston both of Traverse City, and Rick Jones of Interlochen.

Tickets for American Document may be reserved online through the City Opera House or by calling 231- 941-8082.