New Documentary Profiles Martha Hill

January 20, 2015

Without directors and administrators, dance simply could not thrive. And the new documentary Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter tells the story of one of the greatest behind-the-scenes champions of modern and contemporary dance, Martha Hill. Though she may be best known as the founder of the Bennington School of the Dance (the formative summer program where Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Hanya Holm were on faculty), Miss Hill tells the lesser-known details of her lengthy career. For example, in 1952, she became the founding director of The Juilliard Dance Division, a position she held until 1985. 

 

The documentary from First Run Features is rich with archival footage of such luminaries as Graham, Humphrey, José Limón, Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine and Antony Tudor. Plus, interviews with Robert Battle, Ohad Naharin and others connect Hill’s legacy to the current chapter of dance.

 

Miss Hill 
opens this Friday, January 23, at Quad Cinemas in New York City. But even if you’re not in the area, you can check out the trailer here.