Jamar Roberts was tasked with creating a new dance — a solo — with a new score, for our lead dancer Lloyd Knight in just five days. He was offered archival materials from Graham's 1938 dance American Document to use for inspiration, but it was not a requirement of the assignment. American Document was the first dance Graham created that included a man in the cast of her all-female company. As Jamar developed the movement for the solo, composer-percussionist Stahv Danker was in the room, building the accompanying percussion score. Here is how the choreographer describes the final product:

To the Brink and Back is inspired by the profound truth that a dancer is always in a process of transformation. Spanning physical, emotional, and artistic development, it is an art form defined by incessant redefinition rather than loss, where the body, in constant flux, is always adapting and evolving. Through unrelenting tenacity, lies the quiet violence of transformation. What once felt fragile becomes strong, and a new self begins to emerge. Maybe the same can be said about Martha Graham, her work, and her company. -Jamar Roberts