New York City’s iconic Martha Graham Dance Company, the oldest dance troupe in the United States, has become the latest act to cancel a date with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, following a slew of boycotts in recent months.
“The Martha Graham Dance Company regrets that we are unable to perform at the Kennedy Center in April,” the company said in a Friday statement sent to the Daily News. “We hope to perform at the center in the future.”
The 100-year-old troupe, which is currently touring to celebrate its centennial, didn’t give an explanation for its change in plans.
Numerous entertainers have chosen to pull out of performances at the Kennedy Center ever since Trump returned to power in 2025, replaced its board with his supporters and named himself its chairman, with a stated intent to purge the institution of what he called “woke” programming.
The cancellations continued after it was announced last month the venue would henceforth be known as the Trump-Kennedy Center, followed by the president’s name being added to the building’s exterior wall.
In the wake of the renaming — which is essentially illegal without legislative action — jazz drummer Chuck Redd nixed the Christmas Eve show he’s been performing for nearly 20 years. In the days that followed, many other artists also canceled shows, including New York City-based acts like the Asian AF comedy troupe, jazz musician Wayne Tucker and his band, The Bad Mothas, and the dance company Doug Varone and Dancers.
Stephen Schwartz, the Oscar-winning composer of “Wicked,” “Godspell” and “Pippin,” also boycotted the Kennedy Center in protest of the president’s takeover, saying there’s “no way” he’d “set foot” in the building as it “no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be.”
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell raged last week when Grammy-winning banjo player Béla Fleck blamed the politicization of the D.C. cultural institution for his decision to call off three upcoming performances.
“You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties,” the MAGA loyalist fumed on social media.
Earlier this week, the annual “Let Freedom Ring” concert honoring Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. announced it was leaving the Kennedy Center after more than 20 years to instead perform at Washington, D.C.’s Howard Theater. The show’s sponsor told NPR the relocation was a financial decision.
Few big names now remain on the Kennedy Center’s calendar for 2026, with the majority of performances being dedicated to orchestral acts and touring musicals. As of Friday, the New York City Ballet was still listed as having a scheduled series of shows in June.
