Jesse Factor channels Martha Graham and Madonna for new dance piece

With a flash of lights, a smattering of drag makeup, stretches of intricate choreography, and an undying love for Martha Graham, Jesse Factor is returning to Pittsburgh stages with a new chapter in what he calls the “Marthaverse.” This larger-than-life performance blends the modern dance style of Martha Graham and the otherworldly glamour and stardom of Madonna into a pageant-like display that bends and defies genre. Staging at the Greer Cabaret Theater, from Thu., Sept. 10-Sat., Sept. 12, The MetaMarthasis is one of several Martha Graham-inspired productions Factor has created as part of his Marthaverse series, including The Marthaodyssey and Marthagany: The Spectre-Acle . A description for The MetaMarthasis promises to transport audiences “into a world of transformation, speculation, and adoration for a strictly limited Pittsburgh engagement,” with a production that’s “part high modern dance,” “part pop spectacle,” and “part drag extravaganza.” The Marthaverse productions grew from deep, sprawling roots in the Pittsburgh arts community. Factor’s collaborators include a veritable who’s who of Pittsburgh’s arts community, with Robert Ramirez, the head of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, serving as director; University of Pittsburgh faculty member Scott Andrew as the show’s media designer; Slippery Rock University’s Music Director for Dance Andy Hasenflug as the show’s composer; and Slippery Rock’s Chair of Dance Lindsay Viatori as lighting designer. Factor, an assistant professor of dance at Point Park University, says he also received help from his home institution. “Additionally, Slippery Rock University and Point Park University have been instrumental in providing [rehearsal space and resources],” Factor tells Pittsburgh City Paper . For most of a decade, Factor found an artistic home at the Kelly Stayhorn Theater. Factor started his eng