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The choreographer

Cunningham (b. 1919) believes that his work “has always been in process. Finishing a dance has left me with the idea, often slim in the beginning, for the next one. In that way I do not think of each dance as an object, rather a short stop on the way”. (The Weekend Australian 20-21 January 2001: 18)

Research the number of “short stops” that Cunningham has made in his choreographic journey.
Create a map to categorise his works in a way that highlights significant periods in Cunningham’s choreographic career.
Can you identify any of Cunningham’s works for which a correlation can be directly made between the works?
What do you think about the idea of dance works (or more generally art) as objects?

Generating virtual movement possibilities and works is a medium with which Cunningham has had a long association. Indeed he was one of the first major choreographers to work in this way, and has been instrumental in the development of related software. Visit his website at http://www.merce.org to gather a broader perspective about his work and to assist you in considering the following:

What do you suppose that Cunningham means when he says that "there's no thinking involved in my choreography... I don't work through images or ideas— I work through the body”, and how might this complement or contradict his experimentation with the virtual body?
Describe how Cunningham’s work embraces kinaesthetic values as its core philosophy.
What does Cunningham mean when he says “camera space presents a challenge”, and how has he investigated this concept through his work?

The audience

Cunningham has said that Winterbranch (1964) is about the “fact of falling”. It was however, interpreted in many different ways by various audiences. He states:

In Sweden they said it was about race riots; in Germany they thought of concentration camps; in London they spoke of bombed cities; in Tokyo they said it was the atom bomb. Everybody was drawing on his own experience, whereas I had simply made a piece which was involved with falls, the idea of bodies falling.

The Weekend Australian 20–21 January 2001

Why do you think that Winterbranch could be interpreted in so many ways by audiences from around the world?
Think of three other associations that could be made with the notion of falling.
How does the last sentence of the above quote typify Cunningham’s approach to his work, and how might this approach have been considered as avant-garde?
Do you think that Cunningham’s works are isolated from his own experiences? Support your answer with quotes by Cunningham about his works.

Merce Cunningham has been honoured with many awards and accolades including being a recipient of the Kennedy Centre’s Honours in 1985 which recognises lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents in the arts.

Use the link http://kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history/ as a reference point to consider the following:

Why was Cunningham selected for this honour?
How is Cunningham perceived by the US arts community? Use the Biography section of http://www.merce.org to further support your response.
How has Cunningham changed the way in which dance is perceived?
Create a short list of points which summariise the achievements of Cunningham.

John Cage (Cunningham’s long time musical collaborator) once stated that:

Merce Cunningham developed his own school of dancing and choreography, the continuity of which no longer relies on linear elements, be they narrative or psychological, nor does it rely on a movement towards and away from climax. As in abstract painting, it is assumed that an element (a movement, a sound, a change of light) is in and of itself expressive; what it communicates is in large part determined by the observer himself.

www.merce.org:80/merce_bio.html

What are the linear elements the Cunningham’s choreography no longer relies on? Who does rely on these elements, and how does that work differ to that of Cunningham?
What is movement towards and away from a climax? Find examples of works that Cunningham danced in earlier in his career that comply with this notion.
What is meant by the last section of this statement? How can the observer, the audience member, determine meaning about what is communicated?

The world

Cunningham often references an idea of Albert Einstein: that there are no fixed points in space. He has stated on his web site:

And then I read Einstein by pure coincidence, where he said there are no fixed points in space and I thought, well, that's perfect, that, as far as I was concerned, about stage space. There aren't any fixed points. Wherever you are ...could be a center. Well that's a Buddhist thought, of course—wherever you are is the center, as well as where everybody else is. But that seemed to me quite marvelous, and enlarging.

http://www.merce.org:80/community.html

Consider this idea and the implications for dance. Can you think of any other choreographers whose work demonstrates an empathy with this idea?
Create a short movement phrase and consider the points of space that may be considered as fixed or unfixed. Justify how have you reached this conclusion.
Can you identify influences from other sources in Cunningham’s work?

John Cage was a US composer who collaborated with Cunningham over a period of 50 years. Often their collaborations were created in isolation and only came together at performance, adding depth to the element of chance.

Consider how the element of chance is different to the process of improvisation. Support your response with definitions and examples of process and completed works.
Identify other artists who have capitalised upon the element of chance in their work. Draw parallels between these works and the processes used to create them and those of Cunningham.
Research other prominent artists who have collaborated with Cunningham throughout his choreographic career, and the ways in which these contributions may be considered as significant.

Merce Cunningham has often been revered as a prominent figure of modern dance, and as such has had a wide influence on many other choreographers. Perhaps this is due, in part, to his comprehensive and extensive experience in many fields of dance. These range from experience as a dancer, with the Martha Graham company, to being one of the first major choreographers to use computer-based technologies to develop dance works.

If you, as a young choreographer, were to meet with Cunningham what would your questions to him be, and what would you hope to glean from his experience?
Locate examples where Cunningham has been referenced as an influence in the work of other choreographers.

Cunningham has stated that “the swift changes in technology are changing our lives. It is not so much revolutionizing, rather enlarging our relation to the present time”. (www.merce.org:80/technology.html )

Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
How does this statement support ideas put forth by other choreographers such as Agnes de Mille (refer to the tutorial on Agnes de Mille)?

References

Bremser, M. Ed (1999) Fifty Contemporary Choreographers, Routledge, New York.

Craine, D. and Mackrell, J. (2000) The Oxford Dictionary of Dance, Oxford University Press, New York

The Weekend Australian 20–21 January 2001

http://www.merce.org

http://kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history/

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