DECEMBER 29 – JANUARY 16

NO CLASSES held on January 1, 2026

Open to dancers 18 years or older, our Winter Intensive provides dancers with a rigorous program in Graham Technique, Ballet, Contemporary, Graham Repertory, AND more!!

Classes are taught by experienced dance professionals, including former and current Martha Graham Dance Company members. All classes are In Person!

REGISTER NOW
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

REGISTER NOW

Complete registration steps no later than Friday, December 5th as follows:
Use the Martha Graham School MindBODY Website to either sign into your account (returning students) OR create your account (new students).

FULL REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS – PLEASE READ

  • STEP ONE: Fees
  • STEP TWO: Classes
    • Pay for the Intensive in full or Pay a $5 deposit for each class
  • STEP THREE: Enrollment Form will be emailed to you via Mindbody shortly after registration fee is paid

ADDITIONAL CLASSES offered during the 2026 Winter Intensive

Requires participation in all 3 weeks of the Winter Intensive and at least 1 week of Graham Technique.

This class used to be called Composition, it is now called ChoreoLAB because it is a space for you to try out new ideas. We understand that emerging choreographers struggle with generating movement ideas and organizing their movement ideas in ways that make sense to them. We have designed this course to help choreographers explore a range of ways to work by “trying on” the creative processes of other established choreographers. Each week, you will be able to explore a different choreographer’s way of working and solving creative problems.

Whether you are brand new to making dances or if you have any coursework or experience, this class is for you!

Price: $375

This class will be used as a survey of the many different ways to use Improvisation in dance.

NOTE: This class requires at least 1 week of Graham Technique.

Price: $150

We are excited to offer a contemporary partnering class that will explore a range of partnering tips/tricks to be safe, traditional and contemporary ways of partnering and new ideas for sharing weight with another person.

NOTE: This class requires at least 1 week of Graham Technique.

Price: $150

CORE CURRICULUM

“Freedom to a dancer means discipline, that is what technique is —Liberation.” – Martha Graham

The Graham Technique is a physical language that requires a substantial amount of practice to master. Each level of the Martha Graham Technique syllabus offers challenges and necessary steps to achieve optimal development.

Students registering in the level III and level IV must have prior approval of a Graham teacher and extensive Graham training in order to be able to safely execute the advanced level of material. Graham Faculty and Program Directors reserve the right to adjust a student’s level to ensure safety, proper practice and appropriate development.

Graham Technique

Levels I, II, III, IV
The Martha Graham Technique is based on the core power of Graham’s signature contraction and release. The Technique promotes strength, stamina, and self-expression and serves as a foundation for excellence in many styles of dance. Each level is specifically designed for students to progress rapidly.

Graham Teachers evaluate each dancer to ensure they are in the proper level. Students may not change level (higher or lower) during the Intensive without prior approval by their assigned Graham Instructor.

Click here to see Graham level descriptions

Intermediate and Advanced
Repertory introduces students to Graham’s classic choreography to gain a deeper understanding of her expressive style as well as practice in valuable performance techniques. Dancers must register for Graham Technique for the duration of the Repertory class, which is offered at an intermediate or advanced pace.

Advanced Beginner/Intermediate and Advanced
Martha Graham School ballet training is adapted for individual student abilities at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Classes are structured to enhance and support the study of Martha Graham Technique.

Advanced Beginner/Intermediate and Advanced
Contemporary classes build upon Graham Technique and encourage dancers to explore the connections between this classic approach and post-modern styles.

GRAHAM INTENSIVE TEACHER WORKSHOP

The Martha Graham School offers an Intensive Teacher Workshop for instructors with or without Graham teaching experience, who wish to deepen their understanding of the Martha Graham Technique.

Created, developed, and taught by Virginie Mécène, the workshop will provide a solid foundation in Graham pedagogy to lay the groundwork for further development with increased complexity.

MORE INFO COMING SOON!

MODERN CLASSICS SERIES

The Modern Classics Series is a sequence of weekly master classes celebrating early class modern dance form creators, including José Limón, Lester Horton, and Katherine Dunham, in addition to Martha Graham. Each left a legacy that continues to inspire artists and audiences around the world. Many of their students, including Paul Taylor and Alvin Ailey, carried the classics forward and left formidable impacts on the art form themselves.

CLASS SCHEDULE

December 31: TBD
January 7: TBD
January 14: TBD

All master classes are 90 minutes followed by a 30 minute Q&A with the instructor. Open to all levels attending the Winter Intensive; minimum of 1 week of Graham Technique is required.

Limón Technique (developed by José Limón) emphasizes the natural rhythms of fall and recovery, a conscious use of breath, and the interplay between weight and weightlessness with the goal of providing dancers with an organic approach to movement. It can enhance a Graham dancer’s sense of weight in movement and the dancer’s ability to connect movements into a whole.

Horton Technique (developed by Lester Horton) emphasizes a whole body, anatomical approach to dance that includes flexibility, strength, coordination and body and spatial awareness to enable unrestricted, dramatic freedom of expression. It can enhance a Graham dancer’s strength level and spatial awareness.

The Dunham technique was developed by internationally renowned dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham as a result of her anthropological studies in Africa and the Caribbean. The technique is a codified modern dance technique that has its roots in African and Caribbean movements and rhythms, it draws from Classical Ballet as well as traditional African/Caribbean movement, forging a cultural link between Africa and North America. The dance vocabulary focuses on the isolation of individual body parts, in preparation for execution of a poly-movement structure that is reminiscent of African dance and music. Dancers are trained to control all body parts, becoming excellent dance masters; training that prepares them for a career in the professional world of dance.

PRICING

CLASSES 1 WEEK 2 WEEKS 3 WEEKS
Graham Technique $195 $365 $535
Contemporary $40 $75 $110
Ballet $40 $75 $110
Repertory $375
ChoreoLAB $375
Improvisation $150
Partnering $150
Modern Classics Series $30 $60 $90

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the Winter Intensive, view the Frequently Asked Questions or contact Tami Alesson at talesson@marthagraham.org.

PHOTOS: Martha Graham School dancers by Melissa Sherwood.