Night Journey, the dance, had its premiere only two and a half years after Appalachian Spring, and it is a close cousin. It too has a stream-of-consciousness narration: Jocasta, as she is about to kill herself, remembering what has happened to her. It too contains soul-delving solos, broken up by ensemble dances. Here, however, the ensemble is a darker element. As the story was taken from Greek tragedy, so the corps is the equivalent of Greek tragedy’s chorus. They tell us how to feel: afraid mostly. In this piece Graham pushed her habitual economy to its limits.
Credits
Night Journey Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Martha Graham
She was 65, 96 years old when she died
|
as Queen Jocasta |
|
Ethel Winter
She was 35, 87 years old when she died
|
as Chorus |
|
Paul Taylor
He was 29, 88 years old when he died
|
as Tiresias |
|
Helen McGehee
|
as Chorus Leader |
|
Bertram Ross
He was 39, 82 years old when he died
|
as King Oedipus |
|
Mary Hinkson
She was 34, 85 years old when she died
|
as Chorus |
Night Journey Crew
