Artown's March 8, 2022 presentation of the incomparable Martha Graham Dance Company: The First and The Future, marks the triumphant return to the stage for the Company after a long 19 months, and is part of their 96th season! Martha Graham Dance Company will perform iconic Graham classics alongside a stunning new work by one of today's top choreographers. The dancers of the Department of Theatre & Dance, School of the Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno will open the program with a special restaging of Graham's first modernist masterpiece, 'Heretic,' from 1929. Then, the Company dancers take the stage with Graham's joyous ode to love, 'Diversion of Angels,' which will be followed by one of her most powerful solos, 'Immediate Tragedy.' Reno audiences will be among the first to see 'Scavengers' by the much-in-demand choreographer Andrea Miller. This season premiere brings us four intimate duets that evoke our renewed appreciation of human connection post pandemic. 'Scavengers' also showcases the world-renown athleticism of the Graham dancers. The full Company closes the program with 'Acts of Light,' created by Graham in 1981 and performed in three sections. The first is a passionate duet titled ‘Conversation of Lovers'. The second, ‘Lament', references Graham's early modernist solo, 'Lamentation,' and the final section, 'Ritual to the Sun,' is a high-energy celebration of Graham's famed dance language.