Arriving at Overture Center with a tornado watch in effect, we sheltered in place at the Playhouse Theater, where we received frequent updates from the calm and cool Overture Center staff. We also had the unexpected opportunity to watch the last-minute preparations for Forward Theater’s current production of Lady Disdain. In the end, the harsh weather delayed the start of Kanopy Dance’s Divine Mythologies: Anna Sokolow’s Epic ‘Odes’ + Other Luminous Voices only by a few minutes.

This production brings together Kanopy Dance, whose roots lie in the technique, influence, and repertory of Martha Graham, with the New York City–based Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble. Anna Sokolow, a principal dancer in the early years of Graham’s company, was also a pioneering modern dance choreographer. Her choreography, teaching, and work with actors shaped generations of dancers and artists. In her opening remarks, Kanopy Artistic Director Lisa Thurrell explained that uniting these two companies in performance had long been a goal.

The program opened with Robert E. Cleary’s Transformations, a solo for Miye Bishop. Originally created in 1999 and “reimagined” in 2024, Transformations is a crucial reminder that despite current trends, dance isn’t just about sky-high extensions, multiple pirouettes, and improbably flashy leaps; it is also about the understated artistry of a dancer interpreting a choreographer’s work with sincerity, clarity, and commitment. Of course, the always lovely and impeccable Bishop has the training and technique to execute those “tricks,” but in this stripped-down solo, wearing a flowing garnet dress, we appreciate the simplicity of her slowly coiling her arms around her supple back, and again and again slicing one hand through space, crossing over the opposite arm to form a V. Just watching her smoothly run across the stage was unexpectedly moving and satisfying. 

Thurrell’s Ekstatsi was renamed and reworked after its 1995 premiere as Miserere, titled for Arvo Pärt’s Miserere (“have mercy”), which serves as the score. Program notes reveal that Thurrell was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica and cathedral art in Vatican City. Indeed, the work evokes religious sculpture and painting. I’ve called it “devastatingly beautiful” in the past, and that remains true, though there were moments last night when the stage felt a bit overcrowded and the emotion slightly overwrought on the smallish Playhouse stage. But then, just as quickly, I would be mesmerized again by Thurrell’s talent for arranging dancers’ bodies into striking tableaux and conjuring creative, seemingly impossible lifts — couples carrying one another, draped over shoulders, wrapped around hips, or pushing each other upward toward heaven with their feet and legs.

Brad Orego, a thoughtful and introspective dancer, shared an intense duet with the striking Hannah King. We fall under the spell of her breath and her grounded, earthy presence. A second duet, danced later in the piece by Jakari Walker and Stormy Gaylord, was also a standout. Walker shows incredible promise, and the connection between the two was palpable. The piece closes with an ascending Orego traversing a platform created by the dancers’ interlocking bodies. 

Anna Sokolow’s Two Preludes (1985), set to music by Rachmaninoff, was ably danced by Margaret “Mighty Oak” Brackey. Brackey grew up in Madison and, in addition to studying with Kanopy, was a frequent star of Children’s Theater of Madison productions. Always a compelling performer, the planes of her face under the lights revealed her serious commitment to Sokolow’s work. Rising, falling, rocking gently, Brackey’s unfussy dancing lets the work’s quiet power speak for itself.

The final piece on the program was the 20-minute Odes, a 1965 Sokolow work inspired by Greek mythology featuring a large cast of 21 that merges the two companies. Set to a whirring, plinky-plunky score by electronic music pioneer Edgar Varèse, the piece begins with the dancers huddled together, a pod-like organism, clasping hands and lifting arms overhead. A duet with Edward Salas and Ilana Ruth Cohen brought my favorite moments in this piece. Well matched as dancers and clad in shimmering blue-gray unitards, the two danced with clarity and certainty. Sokolow’s steps remain piercing and fresh in their intensity.   

I’m always struck by the collaborative and welcoming philosophy of Kanopy Dance. Their approach seems to ask other modern dance luminaries, “What do you have in your toolbox? What can we share to create and present dance together in an impactful way?” This generous way of showcasing masterworks of modern dance to Madison audiences allows us to both observe history and witness the future. In Divine Mythologies, we see the trajectory of Graham’s and Sokolow’s influence — particularly when dancers and company leaders undertake a project like this with care and respect.

Performances continue with matinees on April 18 and 19 and an evening performance on April 19.

Next week, the production will be performed at MMAC Theater in New York City, April 25–26.