This year, the youngest students specializing in modern dance at Hungarian Dance University had a rare and exceptional experience. Two of the students, namely Sophia Walther and Kálmán Andrásfalvy had the opportunity to study in New York over the summer at Martha Graham School, the world’s pioneering institution dedicated to modern dance technique.
The Martha Graham School is the oldest professional dance school in the United States. It teaches the dance style and ideas of Martha Graham, who was a pioneer of modern dance. Classes are taught by dancers from the Martha Graham Dance Company. The school offers training for beginners, advanced dancers, and dance teachers. The focus is on learning Graham’s technique and way of thinking about dance.
Photos by Salamon Kálmán
The school’s training is based on Martha Graham’s modern dance technique, which focuses on deep breathing, the movement of contraction and release, and the use of gravity. The classes are taught by current or former members of the Martha Graham Dance Company, many of whom studied directly with Martha Graham herself. Their goal is to help dancers grow, improve their skills, and preserve the Graham technique and repertoire.
Sophia Walther and Kálmán Andrásfalvy were happy to share their valuable experiences with their classmates during a mini workshop, where they taught parts of the repertoire and exercises from their one-month training abroad. The participants all agreed: this is just the beginning — more sessions will follow during the school year!
