Martha Graham Dance Company To Host Spring 2024 Gala In April

The Martha Graham Dance Company's Spring 2024 Gala will be held on Thursday, April 18, 2024.

This special gala evening honors three visionary and groundbreaking women: FKA twigs, global recording artist, acclaimed dancer, Grammy nominee; Adriene Holder, Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice of The Legal Aid Society, member of the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice and of the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates; and Dr. Donna E. Shalala, Interim President of The New School, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, former Secretary of Health and Human Services/Clinton Administration.

The 2024 gala continues the Martha Graham Dance Company's longstanding tradition of honoring trailblazing women, and is presented as part of GRAHAM 100, the Company's three-year centennial celebration.

The evening will begin with a performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company at New York City Center. The program features Martha Graham's powerful and ritualist The Rite of Spring from 1984 and her witty Maple Leaf Rag (1990), her last complete work, with music by Scott Joplin and costumes by Calvin Klein.

Dinner and dancing to follow at The Metropolitan Club. Proceeds from the benefit gala support the creation of new works and preservation of Martha Graham masterpieces.

For gala tables and tickets, please visit www.marthagraham.org/gala or email Faye Rosenbaum at frosenbaum@marthagraham.org. Performance-only tickets are also available and can be purchased online at CityTix: 212-581-1212/ nycitycenter.org.

Martha Graham Dance Company's Spring 2024 New York Season runs April 17-20, at New York City Center.

About the Honorees

Tahliah Debrett Barnett – FKA twigs is a standout artist celebrated for her groundbreaking work in music and art, earning acclaim through her Grammy nomination and nods for both the BRIT Awards and the Mercury Prize. Her distinctive style, blending various genres and innovative aesthetics, has been recognized widely, establishing her as a significant figure in the music industry. Her high-profile collaborations with artists like The Weeknd, Kanye West, and A$AP Rocky have broadened her musical range and appeal, showcasing her ability to transcend conventional musical boundaries.

Before becoming a pioneering musical figure, FKA twigs had a strong foundation in the performing arts as a classically trained ballet dancer and opera singer. This training has profoundly shaped her artistic expression, blending the precision of ballet and the expressive power of opera into her music career. Transitioning from dance to music, she has combined her diverse skills to create a distinctive sound and visual style that captivates audiences worldwide, reflecting her dedication to artistic innovation and pushing creative limits.

Throughout her career, twigs has revitalized traditional movement forms like voguing, wushu, and pole dancing, integrating them into the mainstream and highlighting their cultural significance. Her classical training enriches her music and performances, making her work stand out in the contemporary pop scene. This blend of different artistic elements has defined her as a trailblazer in the arts, continually challenging and reshaping the creative landscape with her unique vision and talent.

FKA twigs has also ventured into acting, gaining praise for her role in Honey Boy and taking on the female lead in the upcoming Lionsgate film The Crow, showcasing her versatile talent in the cinematic arena.

Adriene Holder serves as Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice of the Legal Aid Society and has devoted her entire professional career to challenging poverty and racial injustice for the advancement of equity. Holder is responsible for managing the provision of comprehensive civil legal services through a network of neighborhood offices and specialized citywide units serving all five boroughs of New York City with more than 500 staff working on more than 50,000 cases each year. Prior to her appointment to Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice, she served as Attorney-in-Charge of the Harlem office; practiced law as a staff attorney in the Law Reform Unit of the Civil Practice; and began her career as a staff attorney in the Harlem Office's Housing Law Unit.

In addition to her formal duties, Holder also serves as a member of the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, serves on the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates, is a member of the New York State Bar Association President's Committee on Access to Justice, is an executive board member for Housing Court Answers, and previously served as a tenant representative on the New York City Rent Guidelines Board. Holder has also served as an adjunct professor at The New School and as a volunteer instructor at Columbia Law School.

Often called upon to work on the society's legislative agenda, Holder frequently testifies before legislative bodies on the city and state levels. She is also consulted on various legal and policy matters impacting low-income communities by the media, law schools, and policy or governmental agencies.

Holder received her B.S. in Political Science from Spelman College, and her J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Dr. Donna E. Shalala became The New School's Interim President on August 15, 2023. Dr. Shalala is a nationally recognized scholar and leader in higher education and government. She served as President of the University of Miami, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and President of Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY). A dedicated scholar and teacher, she has held tenured professorships at Columbia University, CUNY, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Miami.

Her leadership in U.S. government began as one of the country's first Peace Corps volunteers. For eight years she served in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Most recently, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 27th Congressional District.

One of the most honored academic leaders of her generation, Shalala has been elected to seven national academies: the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Education, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the National Academy of Social Insurance. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Guggenheim Fellow.

Dr. Shalala is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award; the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights; and a National Public Service Award. She was elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY, and has received numerous honorary degrees. She was named one of the “top five managers in higher education” by Business Week, one of “America's Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report, and “one of the greatest public servants of the past 25 years” by the Council on Excellence in Government.

Dr. Shalala received her undergraduate degree from Western College for Women and a PhD. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

About the Martha Graham Dance Company

The world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company has been a leader in the evolving art form of modern dance since its founding in 1926. It is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company.

Today, the Company is embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. With programs that unite the work of choreographers across time within a rich historical and thematic narrative, the Company is actively working to create new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.

Since its inception, the Martha Graham Dance Company has received international acclaim from audiences in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The Company has performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, Covent Garden, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as at the base of the Great Pyramids in Egypt and in the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus theater on the Acropolis in Athens. In addition, the Company has also produced several award-winning films broadcast on PBS and around the world.

For more information about the Company, visit www.marthagraham.org.