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In 1963, modern dance became a hot topic in Congressional debate. At the center of the debate was American modern dance matriarch Martha Graham’s provocative dance piece, Phaedra (1962). Based on the Greek myth that tracks a woman’s (Phaedra’s) sexual entanglement with her stepson, the Graham work grapples with the staging of female sexual desire and, to the dismay of Congress people, does so in a setting populated with barely clad male dancers and onstage choreographed depictions of sexual encounters. My presentation charts the Congressional controversy that ensued after the Graham company performed Phaedra on a tour sponsored by the US State Department. I argue, through close readings of Congressional hearings, popular press accounts, and choreographic material, that the debate centered on a negotiation of Cold War gender norms—Cold War gender norms that Graham, onstage and as a public persona, skillfully transgressed by enacting what cultural theorist Lauren Berlant terms “diva citizenship.” Specifically I consider if white privilege might have buoyed Graham’s diva status, allowing her to remain the sole female choreographer frequently funded by the State Department during the Cold War.

Clare Croft is a historian, theorist, and dramaturg, working at the intersection of dance studies and performance studies. Dr. Croft’s current book project, Funding Footprints: Dance and American Diplomacy (Oxford University Press), examines the history of US State Department funding of international dance tours. She is also editing the anthology, Meanings and Makings of Queer Dance. Croft has published writing about dance in academic journals, including Dance Research Journal and Theatre Journal, as well as being a regular contributor to The Washington Post and the Austin American Statesman. Croft holds a PhD from the University of Texas-Austin. At Michigan, Dr. Croft teaches courses in in the BFA and MFA Dance programs, focusing on 20^th and 21^st century American dance, cultural policy, feminist and queer theory, and critical race theory. She also has a keen interest in helping students develop as choreographers and dramaturgs. This academic year she will be collaborating with UMS on audience engagement programs, including Dance Club http://ums.org/performances/ums-dance-club-kick-off and Night School http://ums.org/performances/ums-night-school-bodies-in-motion-session-1.

This event is sponsored by the Dance Department and supported in part by the Weitkamp Fund.

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