Every year, Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival director Jane Startzman tries to stretch in a new direction.  This time, she scored a dance coup by booking the Martha Graham Dance Company. The Graham company will appear for two free outdoor shows, Aug. 3 and 4.

One of the best things about Akron in the summer is the outdoor dance performances.

They’ve  been a tradition in Akron for nearly 40 years. Heinz Poll, the late German-born founder of Akron’s Ohio Ballet, started the free summer shows when his company was young. After Ohio Ballet ceased in 2006, the City of Akron, receiving many Knight Arts grants, continued presenting dance by creating the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival.

Four weekends of performances will pop up around city parks and the bucolic, historic Glendale Cemetery from July 27 through August 18.  Performers from each company will also lead master classes for advanced dancers from the University of Akron and its affiliated Dance Institute.

Martha Graham, a larger-than-life character, cultivated an iconic brand of expressionistic, emotive modern dance at a time when ballet still reigned.

Martha Graham, a larger-than-life character, cultivated an iconic brand of expressionistic, emotive modern dance at a time when ballet still reigned.

After her death, the company struggled for a while with how to continue without their founder, dealing with legal issues as well as artistic ones. Next summer’s Akron appearance is part of a tour featuring 10 to 12 of their top dancers. The program will incorporate video and narrative with the dance, to introduce Graham’s ethos.

The approach is smart, says Startzman: “Of course, she’s a legend, but there are people who don’t know who she is. They want them to know her.’’

Another first-time visitor is the Cincinnati Ballet, a company with classical roots that spread to include contemporary ballet.

Neos Dance Theatre, a youthful company from the Ohio city of Mansfield, opens the festival. GroundWorks Dance Theater, which is based in Cleveland and has a regular presence in Akron, returns to what has become its regular summer spot, Glendale Cemetery.

The schedule for the 2012 Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival season is as follows:

July 27, 28 – Neos Dance Theatre at Hardesty Park (part of the annual Akron Arts Expo)

August 3,4 – Martha Graham Dance Company at Goodyear Metro Park

August 10,11 – GroundWorks Dance Theater at Glendale Cemetery

August 17, 18 – Cincinnati Ballet at Firestone Park

All performances are free and start at approximately 8:45 p.m. (dusk). Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival.