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Merce Cunningham
(1922 - )
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 Merce
Cunningham : Fifty Years by David Vaughan (Editor),
Melissa Harris,
Merce Cunningham
Unlike so many biographies of dance maestros, Merce
Cunningham: Fifty Years offers no litany of substance or
psychological abuse. The volume, assembled by the archivist of
Merce Cunningham's world-renowned U.S. company, records and
analyzes Cunningham's work process and documents the provenance of
his modern dance classics. Heavily spiced with biographical
detail, Merce Cunningham packages the choreographer's life
story in a lovely design that respects his whole body and conveys
a rare sense of movement in its mass of still photos.
 Points
in Space (1986)
The first part of this tape includes the BBC
documentary on the critically acclaimed collaboration between
choreographer Merce Cunningham, composer John Cage and director
Elliot Caplan. Following is a performance of "Points in
Space" performed by Cunningham and his dance company to the
music by John Cage: "Voiceless Essay."
"Cunningham's fine dance production is a
learning experience for anyone who appreciates modern dance.
There's an ABC interview included in this dance production that
helped viewers understand who the production staff and processes
are. You'll see as watching this video that the choreography,
sound effects, and dance movements are as original as they can
be." -- Anonymous Review
Art
Performs Life : Merce Cuningham/Meredith Monk/Bill T. Jones
by
Merce Cunningham (Editor), Laura Kuhn, Thelma Golden,
Meredith Monk
Art Performs Life is a unique and authorities
guide to the works and view points of today's most prominent 3
American Choreographers. It emphasizes on the collision of dance
and life. Their view points on the gendering of dance and
technique are stated clearly. The political and social agenda the choreographers
use and their individuality in representing life on stage using
major issues is brilliantly represented in this book. It is a must
have for anyone interested in modern dance. -- Anonymous Review
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"There's no thinking involved in my
choreography...I don't work through images or ideas I work
through the body...If the dancer dances which is not the same
as having theories about dancing or wishing to dance or trying to
dance everything is there. When I dance, it means: this is what
I am doing."
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Excerpt:
born in Centralia,
Washington, received his first formal dance and theater
training at the Cornish School (now Cornish College) in Seattle.
From 1939 to 1945, he was a soloist in the company of Martha
Graham. During that time, he began to choreograph independently,
presenting his first
New York solo concert with John Cage in April 1944. He
continued to present annual concerts, by himself or with an ad hoc
group of dancers, until the formation of Merce Cunningham Dance
Company at Black Mountain College in the summer of 1953. Since
that time Cunningham has choreographed over one
hundred and fifty works for his company...
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By Patricia Boccadoro
Excerpt:
It is impossible to remain indifferent to Merce
Cunningham. One is either an admirer or detractor and so it has
been for the last fifty years. Cunningham's choreography has no
story, theme or subject and is rarely supported by music, so his
style is not for everyone as all those who sneaked off in the
first interval at the Palais Garnier discovered...
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By Anne Pierce, with special thanks to Sang Mah
Excerpt:
For Merce Cunningham, dance has never had to
refer to anything except itself. More than 40 years ago, he chose
his path away from sentimental themes, toward kinesthetic
exploration and freedom from drama or narrative, which he feared
were restrictive (if not actually dangerous) to the process of
making meaningful art...
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These excerpts were taken directly from Simon
& Goodman's interview transcripts, and were edited lightly for
clarity.
Excerpt:
It was the summer of 1948 and John Cage and I
had been invited to come and teach and be in residence at Black
Mountain College in North Carolina. And I can't remember exactly
when Bucky first came to the summer session but it was near the
beginning of it. He had been there one or two days and he... that
evening was to give a talk. And we all came to this in the dining
hall which was the general assembly for everything from eating to
dancing to whatever, that Black Mountain had available. And there
was Fuller, this astonishing looking man, he always made me think
of the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz. He gave a lecture which...a
talk really, which lasted for a number of hours. And on the table,
as he was talking, were these models of the various geometric
shapes that interested him, with which he worked and which he
discussed at great length. It was indelible in my memory, not only
because of what he said, and this wide mind that he had, but his
manner was...so engaging...some way to...not just for the ideas
which were absolutely marvelously opening, but the way he said
them, and their kind of sense, and the way of his person that he
gave. I remember thinking it's Bucky Fuller and his magic show. It
was immediate, I think, with all of us who were there...this
immediate absolute adoration and love of this man because of
his...ideas, the width of the ideas. The grandeur with which he
saw things and the way in which he spoke about them and
demonstrated them. He stayed for the rest of the summer session...
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Excerpt:
While living briefly in Seattle in 1937, where
he studied and worked as an accompanist for dance classes at the
Cornish School of the Arts, Cage met the dancer/choreographer
Merce Cunningham, with whom he would collaborate in art and life
for the next fifty five years...From 1970 until his death on
August 12, 1992, he and Merce Cunningham lived together in New
York City...
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Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
| Authors
Index | Scholars
Index |
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