NEW YORK — Martha Graham created a new language and vision in American dance, from her bold statements of human injustice in such early works as "Revolt" and "Heretic" to the utter whimsy of her last work, "Maple Leaf Rag."
That vision has been missing from the dance world for more than three years, as her company struggled with finances and a court battle over the copyright of Graham's works.
Now, after winning the lawsuit, the Martha Graham Dance Company is finishing up a triumphant return to the stage at the Joyce Theater.
"This is what we want to do. It's not about allegations — it's about us dancing. We love this work and we believe it's supposed to be put on stage," said Tadej Brdnik, a principal dancer who appeared Wednesday in "Embattled Garden." The 1958 Graham work explores the sexuality of Adam and Eve, each tempted by another couple in a quartet of dissonant desires.
America's oldest contemporary dance troupe stopped performing largely because of the lawsuit brought by photographer Ronald Protas, Graham's friend and legal heir.
A federal judge in New York ruled against Protas in August, saying the choreography, sets and costumes of 45 Graham dances belong to the Manhattan dance center and school that bear her name, not to Protas, who inherited her personal property. U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum also ruled that 10 other dances — including the 1944 "Appalachian Spring," perhaps Graham's best-known work — belong to the public domain, and five to individual commissioning organizations.
While Protas appeals the decision, the entire company of 26 dancers is working under a new 25-week contract, directed by longtime Graham dancers Christine Dakin and Terese Capucilli.
During their two-week run at the Joyce, Graham's company traced her career from the early 1920s as a groundbreaking artist who revolutionized modern dance to her death in 1991 at 96. Calling the dancer "an athlete of God," she broke the traditional mold and created an enduring alternative to classical ballet in her more than 180 solo and ensemble works.
This week, the fierce, angular, gravity-defying choreography that became her signature was executed by an athletic, well-trained company. Graham's moves probe the human psyche and flesh, exuding a sexual energy that is both tense and tender.
Early Wednesday, principal dancer Katherine Crockett relaxed in a backstage room during rehearsals for "Diversion of Angels," a 1948 dance in which three couples mirror different kinds of love — from infatuation to an erotic relationship to a mature commitment. Popcorn crackled in a microwave oven as barefoot dancers munched on snacks.
Crockett, with the company since 1993, talked about Graham's influence on dance: "Martha felt that in traditional ballet, dancing on point, the essence of femininity was to be as unfleshy, as unearthlike as possible. Instead, she went back to the earth as a place of ripening, of sexuality, of beauty."
That night, Crockett performed "Diversion of Angels" against a set designed by the late sculptor Isamu Noguchi, who often worked with Graham. Crockett danced the role of the "mature" woman, which "demands a certain purity," she said.
She and the 25 other dancers expect to go on tour soon, to engagements that are being negotiated and should be announced in coming weeks. With a current annual budget projected at $7 million, the company is seeking at least $3 million in outside funding.
Next week, the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance is moving from various Manhattan locations to a building on East 63rd Street where Graham had taught for many years. The property was sold during the company's financial crunch of the 1990s, and repurchased recently.
During the hiatus, some of the dancers worked for the White Oak Dance Project, a group founded by dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and choreographer Mark Morris.
But there was no doubt that their return to the Graham company was a homecoming. Only in the ensembles — which appear a bit out of sync — was there any hint that the dancers had not worked enough together.
That's a small flaw in the long-awaited return of a style that shaped modern dance.
On the Net:
Martha Graham Dance Company, www.marthagrahamdance.org