''Moment Rustica'' was a

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

ballet performed to the music of

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

. It premiered on April 14, 1929, at the

Booth Theater The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the It ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The performance marked the debut of Graham's concert ensemble, Martha Graham and Group, the predecessor of the

Martha Graham Dance Company The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded by Martha Graham in 1926, is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company. The company is critically acclaimed in the artistic world and has been recognized as " ...

. The piece was choreographed for the entire ensemble. Members of the group included: Kitty Reese, Irene Emery, Ethel Rudy, Lillian Ray, Hortense Bunsick, Sylivia Wasserstrom, Mary Rivoire, Ruth White,

Lillian Shapero Lillian Shapero Rauch, (January 17, 1908 – April 19, 1988, born and died in New York City) was an American dancer and choreographer, and a member of the first Martha Graham Dance Company, where she was a performer, assistant choreographer Cho ...

, Virginia Briton, Sylvia Rosenstein, Evelyn Sabin, Betty Macdonald and Rosina Savelli. The program included a total of 13 works. Graham performed the solos ''Dance'', ''Four Insincerities'', ''Fragments'', ''

Adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

'' (Prelude and Song) and ''Resurrection''. Sabin, Macdonald and Savelli appeared in ''Danse Languide'', ''Dance Piece'', ''Spires'' and ''Ronde''. The entire ensemble performed ''Heretic'', '' Vision of the Apocalypse'', ''Sketches from the People'' and ''Moment Rustica''. ''

Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' is currently part of Dance Media, led by longtime arts publisher Joanna Harp as president, and has mu ...

s reviewer noted that ''Moment Rustica'' was in the "vein of grotesquerie and humor" and "remarkable more for what it implied than for what it actually represented." The critic interpreted the costumes as representative of a "peasant scene" and the choreography "notable for an economy of movement seldom paralleled in so vigorous and lusty a composition."

Louis Horst Louis Horst (born January 12, 1884, Kansas City, Missouri – died January 23, 1964, New York City) was a composer, and pianist. He helped to define the principles of modern dance choreographic technique, most notably the matching of choreography ...

's piano accompaniment was called "sympathetic and invaluable."

References

{{reflist 1929 ballets Ballets by Martha Graham