El Penitente

El Penitente is a modern dance work by Martha Graham performed to music by Louis Horst. It premiered on August 11, 1940, at the Bennington College Theater, Bennington, Vermont, with costumes by Edythe Gilfond and a set by Arch Lauterer. Isamu Noguchi later redesigned the set and created a new mask.

The ballet’s theme is taken from the Penitente religious traditions of the American Southwest in which believers expiate their sins through extreme penance, including mortification of the flesh. Its structure is derived from the mystery plays of the Middle Ages, in which small groups of traveling performers reenact scenes from the Bible. The original cast members were Graham as the Mary Figures (Virgin, Magdalene and Mater Dolorosa), Merce Cunningham as the Christ Figure and Erick Hawkins as the self-flagellating Penitent. In 1947, Graham relinquished the portrayal of Mary to Pearl Lang, marking the first time a "Graham" role was performed by anyone other than the star herself.

Horst's score for flute, oboe and piano is 20 minutes in length. The bold, stark and stylized choreography tells of piety and ecstasy in ten brief vignettes. The ballet opens with the entrance of a troupe of strolling players. Donning simple costumes, they present a primitive panorama of flagellation, revelation, temptation, contrition, crucifixion and redemption. The trio ends the performance in a joyful "festival" dance.

Through his motions, the Penitent embodies spiritual longing; he jumps, turns and whips himself in hopes of achieving union with God. The Christ figure moves stiffly, arms outstretched to strike cruciform poses and gestures of blessing or rebuke. The Mary figure presents a three-fold portrait: the tender virgin, the sorrowful mother, and the erotically writhing, then repentant, Magdalene.

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