Reviving art

Groundbreaking dance company and long-lost photos debut for Tulsans

This month, Martha Graham Dance Company – the nation’s oldest contemporary dance troupe – makes its Oklahoma debut. Hardesty Arts Center, 101 E. Archer, will showcase never-before-seen photography from a 1937 performance by Martha Graham dancers. 

The family of photographer Robert M. Fraser donated the photos to the dance company. Fraser’s son Doug, an amateur photographer and professor at Dartmouth, began restoring negatives of the photos after learning of their significance. 

According to exhibit sponsor Choregus Productions, Robert sat front row center the night of the Martha Graham show in New York City’s Guild Theater. Using a 35mm Contax-I camera, he captured numerous images of dancers at the peak of jump. Working without a flash in the dim theater, he adjusted the camera’s settings with exceptional skill. Only about a dozen of his 170 photos from that evening were out of focus – an outstanding feat given the technology of the time.

Doug has only restored a third of the Martha Graham collection. He focused his efforts on the photos chosen by Ken Tracy, executive director of Choregus Productions, and Janet Eilber, artistic director for the Martha Graham Dance Company. In an email to The Voice, Doug said he’s “probably got another year’s worth of Vermont winter evenings to spend restoring photos.” 

The exhibit runs through September 20, and the Martha Graham Dance Company performs September 20-21 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Chapman Music Hall. 

The company has influenced the development of contemporary dance on both a national and a global scale, according to Tracy. 

“The chance to see her work performed by her company is an unparalleled opportunity for Tulsa audiences,” Tracy said in an email to The Voice. “But the company is not just a museum of Martha Graham’s choreography; the company has a strong commissioning program and they invite some of the leading choreographers in the world to create new work for the company. Tulsa will get to see some of that work as well.”

As for the photos, Tracy initially sought to arrange a small archival exhibition on Martha Graham history to coincide with the Tulsa performances. However, he learned that Hurricane Sandy had badly damaged most of the archives. The material was undergoing restoration by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was unavailable, Tracy said. A few weeks later, the company informed Tracy that Robert Fraser’s negatives had turned up. 

Known to many as “Bob,” Robert died in 1998. The exhibition adds a layer to his legacy. “The restoration has been satisfying from the standpoint that I can ‘contribute’ to his success,” Doug said of his father. Doug plans to visit Tulsa for the exhibit and performance.

According to Doug, Robert loved dance and would likely be pleased with the restoration project. 

“We have technology now that can bring out photo details that he didn’t have access to,” Doug said. “He’d be thrilled with the show.” 

Admission is free for Martha Graham: December 19, 1937. Purchase tickets to the Martha Graham Dance Company performance at the PAC box office.