What Does it Look Like When Vishneva Goes Graham?
It’s not every day that you get to see a world-class ballerina rehearse. It’s pretty much never that you get to see that world-class ballerina rehearse Martha Graham’s work. So to say that I was thrilled to be able to watch Diana Vishneva prepare Graham’s Errand into the Maze yesterday is a massive understatement.
Vishneva first performed Errand at a gala evening in St. Petersburg last June. (She brought down the house.) She’ll reprise her take on the iconic work this Wednesday night at the Martha Graham Dance Company gala at New York City Center, and again on Friday and Sunday as part of her own bill at City Center, Diana Vishneva: Dialogues.
Vishneva was intensely, singularly focused during Monday’s rehearsal. “For me as an artist, what’s most important is to feel the structure of [Graham’s] choreography on my body,” she told me, “to figure out how it fits.” Pointe was able to capture some of that process on camera. This gorgeous image is a sneak preview of the photo essay to come in our June/July issue. Enjoy–and stay tuned!
