Martha Graham Dance Co cancels April shows at The Kennedy Center - media

The Martha Graham Dance Company has become the latest big name to pull out from The Kennedy Center as the exodus from the performing art centre in Washington D.C. continues.

The New York-based company issued a statement about the cancellation to major news outlets on Friday, 16th January 2026.

The New York Times newspaper said on the same day;

“The Martha Graham Dance Company regrets that we are unable to perform at the Kennedy Center in April,” it said in a statement. “We hope to perform at the center in the future.”

Any reason or reasons for the cancellation was not specified, according to the newspaper.

The Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest continuously operating dance company in the United States, celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year. It was scheduled to perform four shows at The Kennedy Center from 2nd to 4th April as a part of its centennial celebration national tour, according to the newspaper.

Since the so-called Trump's take over of The Kennedy Center, which is traditionally a bipartisan art institution, many artists and performing companies have cancelled their shows or pulled out of affiliations. The most recently, Washington National Opera has left the center, its home for more than half a century.

The center was renamed The Trump Kennedy Center in December 2025 although some disputes the legality of the name change.