Fun fact: beyond being a Grammy-nominated artist and a songwriter for artists including Solange, A$AP Rocky, and The 1975, Tahliah Debrett Barnett—better known as FKA Twigs—is a classically trained dancer. And on a crisp Thursday evening in Midtown Manhattan, the British singer-songwriter, along with several talented dancers of the Martha Graham Dance Company, performed Graham’s legendary pieces at the Martha Graham Spring Gala.
After her solo performance, dancers from the Martha Graham Company entered the stage in nude leotards and flowy skirts as they moved in synchronized precision and symmetry to Maple Leaf Rag—a frivolous piece created by Graham in 1990 . The evening was the first of three seasons to commemorate the Graham 100, a three-year centennial celebration honoring the company’s founding in 1926—the oldest dance company in the United States.