MARTHA'S BACK AS LEGAL DISPUTE ENDS, GRAHAM'S COMPANY RESUMES ITS PLACE AMONG THE BEST OF BALLET.

Byline: Vicki Smith Paluch Correspondent

THE LATE Martha Graham often drew on mythology as inspiration for her modern dance pieces. So there is something poetic about her dance troupe rising from the ashes of a long legal dispute to keep the flame of its legendary founder burning bright.

A fight over the ownership of the great choreographer's work kept the Martha Graham Dance Company off the stage for nearly three years. Out of respect to the dancers who fought to maintain Graham's legacy, artistic directors of ballet and contemporary dance companies refused to perform Graham's work until the court resolved the issue, which it did in August 2002.

Now the 27-member dance company is back and embarking on a series of engagements that brings it to California State University, Northridge, to perform two different programs, the troupe's only California shows.

Christine Dakin, co-artistic director of the company, says the performances will ``show the breadth and scope of Martha's work. It's been quite a while since any of our work has been seen.''

The last time the company performed in the area was at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at California State University, Los Angeles, in April 2000, just weeks before the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance was forced to suspend operations due to financial problems and litigation.

But the power of Graham, who died in 1991 at age 95, would not be suppressed. Members of her company continued to work, keeping up the technique Graham created. They kept her works alive in their muscles, though they did not perform the pieces publicly for more than two years.

``It speaks about the passion of the dancers and their complete dedication to the art form,'' said Dakin, who joined the company 30 years ago and continues to dance.

The company found itself having to restart from a dead stop. ``Not just financially, but in every way,'' Dakin said. ``It will take a while for us to get back into the stream.''

Graham, an icon of the 20th century, created 181 ballets and a modern dance technique that exploited basic human movements - contraction and release - to tell the deep stories of the human soul. She drew not only from Greek mythology but also from the American frontier and religious ceremonies of Americans Indians. Some of her most important roles portray great women of history.

She founded her dance company in 1926 and provided the training ground for some of some of the most illustrious choreographers in America, including Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Eric Hawkins, Donald McKayle and Jean Erdman. William C. Martin, the artistic director and director of marketing for the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts at CSUN, booked the company as soon as the legal dispute was resolved.

``I knew this was an opportunity we couldn't miss - to get such an important company at our theater,'' said Martin. After watching the company rehearse last summer, Martin said, ``I've seen a lot of modern dance companies, but watching this company - their excitement, energy and physicality - is like watching no other.''

The performing arts center at Northridge is a small theater - approximately 500 seats - meaning audience members will see the very sinews of the dancers in a very intimate setting, Martin said. ``They will be pouring off the stage,'' he said.

The troupe will be performing two separate programs that follow Graham from her darkest choreography to her funniest. ``Sketches From Chronicle'' (1936), Graham's evocative piece set in 1914 about war and the devastation of spirit that it leaves in its wake; ``Diversion of Angels'' (1948), a non-narrative work that explores aspects of love; and ``Errand Into the Maze'' (1947), inspired by the Greek myth of Ariadne and the Minotaur, will be performed on each program.

``Embattled Garden'' (1958), which will be performed Tuesday and Thursday, is another exploration of love. On Wednesday, the company will add one of Graham's darker dances - ``Deep Song'' (1937), the story of a tortured people embodied in the dance of a Spanish woman - and her last work, ``Maple Leaf Rag'' (1990).

``Martha is more than dance. She worked collaboratively with composers, set and lighting designers, and she created her own costumes,'' said Dakin. ``She created a whole theater world.''

The company is also interested in teaching the next generation of dancers and audience members about Graham and her art. The troupe will be conducting a master class at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. It will also conduct a panel discussion, ``Martha Tomorrow: Graham Alumni Envision the Future,'' including McKayle, Bonnie Homsey, Lyndon Branaugh, Christyne Lawson and Susan McLain. The panel will be held at CSUN's Performing Arts Center at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Reservations, which are required for both events, may be made by calling [phone].

Rob Lowman, [phone]

robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com

MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY

Where: Center for the Visual and Performing Arts at California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday (this week only).

Tickets: $75. [phone] or cvpa.csun.com.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Christine Dakin, co-artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company helped keep her mentor's techniques alive during a nearly three-year layoff for the troupe.

(2 -- 5 -- color) no caption (dancers performing)