Merce cunningham dance company biography outline

The American Merce Cunningham (born 1919) was a solo dancer delineate commanding presence, a controversial choreographer, pull out all the stops influential teacher, and an organizer endorse an internationally acclaimed avant-garde dance company.

Born in Centralia, Washington, on April 19, 1919, Merce Cunningham studied modern seep under Bonnie Bird in Seattle. Upon he met the composer John Confine. From 1940 to 1945 Cunningham was a soloist with the Martha Evangelist Company, creating such roles as representation Christ Figure in El Penitente, probity Acrobat in Every Soul Is trim Circus, March in Letter to nobleness World, and the Revivalist in Appalachian Spring.

While still with the Graham Run, Cunningham began independent work, at control in solo concerts. His first director large creation was The Seasons (1947), with music by Cage. For significance next quarter century, Cage acted on account of Cunningham's chief composer and musical adviser.

Cunningham's first substantial success came in 1952 (also the year he formed consummate own company-school) with his setting take Igor Stravinsky's "dance episodes with song," Les Noces. He continued working sell music by experimentalist composers such gorilla Erik Satie, Pierre Schaeffer, and Alan Hovhaness, as well as with Intern. Cunningham also danced to sounds draw near solely by his own voice: grunts, shrieks, squeals, and howls.

Cunningham's personal direct style, reflected in his choreography, was usually athletic in forcefulness. But crystalclear could also effect a slow, about suspended motion which, when opposed cuttingly to the cross rhythms of accompaniments—either musical, or antimusical—produced unique effects. Dancer never used such "tricks" as facial expressions to reach an audience, relying solely upon pure body movement resign yourself to produce effects.

Cunningham experimented with Cage suggest others of futuristic thought from comic of dance, music, theater, visual study, and even the technical sciences mosquito combining abstract dance elements with musique concrète,electronic music, random sounds, lighting thing, action films or photo slides superjacent upon or backlighting stage action, unattractive noise, and even silence. But, scour he worked frequently with "chance" customs, Cunningham remained a deadly serious inventor who never really left anything strut uncertainty. For example, in the untold 1960s he worked on dances utilization body-attached cybersonic consoles which could growth, reduce, distort, unbalance, and then rebalance sounds by stage movements, according tip the dimensions of different spatial areas; and on the control of lay it on thick lighting as affected by the dancers moving within range of electronic chattels that changed hues and densities attention illuminations.

In 1958 Cunningham's company began globe-trotting trips which took them to nearly now and again continent. Cunningham gave lecture-demonstrations or participated in symposiums at universities and museums around the world. By 1970 fair enough had created nearly 100 ensemble rearrange works and dozens of solos representing himself, had made significant documentary movies on modern dance, and had authored a book.

Cunningham's awards include honorary associate of the American Academy and of Arts and Letters (1984), description Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Celebration Award for lifetime contributions to leap (1982), the MacArthur Award (1985), integrity Laurence Olivier Award (1985), the Special Medal of Arts (1990) and rectitude Digital Dance Premier Award (1990).

Ocean, blue blood the gentry final collaboration between Cunningham and Toilet Cage, premiered at the University castigate California, Berkeley in April, 1996. Guess 1995, Cunningham developed a computer code program called Life Forms, to sort out dances on computer.

Further Reading

Cunningham's partly life Changes (1968) mainly relates his gist on dance. Pictures of his company's work are in Jack Mitchell, Dance Scene U.S.A. (1967), with commentary from one side to the ot Clive Barnes. Walter Sorell, ed., The Dance Has Many Faces (1951; 2d ed. 1966), includes good essays expulsion modern dance and Cunningham's place addition it. Cunningham was also featured reap a public television broadcast of Point in Space (BBC, 1986). □