Bobbi Jene Smith and Maxine Doyle Talk Instinct and Trust in Collaboration

January 7, 2019

In a sun-soaked studio in Manhattan, members of the Martha Graham Dance Company (all women) lie on the floor with their feet and heads hovering off the ground. Choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith encourages the dancers to be unapologetic about being looked at as their bodies begin to tremble with exhaustion and they move into a new formation.


Bobbi Jene Smith with MGDC dancers. PC Kelsey Grills.

Smith and co-choreographer Maxine Doyle have been working with the company on a new piece that premieres during the company’s season at The Joyce Theater, April 2–14. It is part of The EVE Project, an initiative started by the Graham company that honors the progress of women over the last 100 years and shines a spotlight on today’s most compelling conversations about gender and power. We peeked into a rehearsal and heard from Doyle and Smith about their collaborative process.