U-M dance professor discusses cultural impact of the legendary Martha Graham

Sparling

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Peter Sparling, University of Michigan professor of dance, is among an elite class of dancers who worked directly with the legendary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham.

Sparling shares his recollections and examines Graham's indelible cultural impact in an exclusive podcast

available here. Video of Sparling is also available
here.

The Martha Graham Dance Company performs Oct. 13-14 at the Power Center in Ann Arbor.

"Martha taught me to move from the inside out. . . stripping away artifice to reveal the human body as a modernist form that has everything to do with the culture and socio-political setting," he said.

Sparling was a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1973-1987. In 1998, he performed with the Graham Company for its Library of Congress performance of its most famous dance, "Appalachian Spring."

Over the last several decades, Sparling has been an internationally renowned choreographer, dancer and teacher, upholding the tradition of modern dance—pushing aesthetic boundaries, challenging audiences and interpreting the human spirit with compelling portrayals.

For more than 20 years through the Peter Sparling Dance Company in Ann Arbor, he has promoted, developed and produced modern dance performances, sharing his artistry and approach that places him in a long legacy that began with Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Jose Limon.

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