RESIDENCY FIVE ARTIST MARTHA CLARKE, KNOWN FOR
HER STRIKING, DREAMLIKE STYLE OF DANCE THEATRE,
HAS DEFIED CATEGORIZATION THROUGHOUT HER CAREER.
She declares that in the dance world, she is thought to be a director, in the theatre, a choreographer,
and in opera, a misfit, rather gleefully, and is happily embraced (and claimed) by artists of every
discipline. With Chéri, Clarke’s first of three Residency Five productions, she introduces Signature
audiences to her distinctive approach to storytelling. This brand new piece is inspired by the classic
1920 novel by French author Colette, and incorporates dance, text, and live music in a powerful
exploration of love and the ravages of age.
In early September, Literary Director Christie Evangelisto spent a morning with Clarke (and her
two friendly Pomeranians) discussing Clarke’s multidisciplinary roots, her intuitive rehearsal
process, and the rich, romantic world of Chéri.
Signature: Where are you from and where did your
training begin?
company that toured the kibbutz scene. But it was kind
MC: I grew up in Baltimore. I loved horses and dancing
She was ferocious. Brilliant but tough.
from a very young age and went to a wonderful summer
I went on to have a wonderful relationship with an amazing
camp when I was 13 called Perry-Mansfield. I traveled to
lady named Lyn Austin, who had a group called Music -
Colorado to work with horses and met Helen Tamiris, a
Theatre Group. She invited Pilobolus to rehearse up in
great Broadway choreographer, who was doing a produc-
Lenox, MA and we performed something for Lyn called
tion called Ode to Walt Whitman and I auditioned and got
Monkshood’s Farewell. When we finished she said to me,
in. Dustin Hoffman was stage manager! I got the bug bad
“If you ever want to do something outside of this company,
that summer. I went to the American Dance Festival when
let me know.” Well, a few years went by. I did the show with
I was 15 and auditioned for Juilliard when I was 16. I gradu-
Linda Hunt, work I was making myself. And then she called
ated from Juilliard School of Music when I was 20.
me one afternoon for an idea for a grant application and
There are a lot of little chapters within the chapters…
said, “Do you have anything you want to do?” And I said,
When I was 27 I was wife of the artist-in-residence at
“Call me back in ten minutes.” I saw a book of Hieronymus
Dartmouth College, where Pilobolus was forming in a
Bosch on my bookshelf and thought, “Why don’t we do
dance class given by Alison Chase. Alison and I became
a piece based on The Garden of Earthly Delights?” That
friends and broke the ranks of men and joined the com-
started the ball rolling – though we didn’t get the grant.
of an awful summer because she scared me a lot.
pany. I first worked in the theatre at Long Wharf, where
I choreographed L’Histoire du Soldat. Victor Garber and
Linda Hunt were in that.
I was in Anna Sokolow’s company when I graduated from
Juilliard; she was a very well-known choreographer. After
that I quit dancing for five years, but when I met Linda
and worked at Long Wharf, I started getting interested in
theatre and movement that was generated from actual
subtext. Versus postmodern, which is more abstract.
Signature: When were you first exposed to modern,
or theatrical dance?
MC: With Anna [Sokolow]. At the American Dance Festival, I saw her work and thought, “That’s for me.” I went
to Israel with her in 1963 and was an apprentice for her
left: Martha Clarke, 2013.
above: L’Altra Meta del Cielo, Teatro alla Scala, 2012.
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