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_Merce Cunningham _
By: Anonymous
Merce Cunningham: Pioneer of Modern Dance In the age of conformity, Merce
Cunningham has resisted the temptation to remain aligned with his peers.
Cunningham has pioneered a new school of thought in dance, and has set the
standard for future pioneers. He is passionate about what he does and it has
been evident in his works as a dancer and a choreographer. Cunningham was born
on April 16, 1919, in Centralia, Washington. At the age of twelve, Cunningham
became interested in dance and started informal instruction. Upon graduation
from high school, Cunningham began his formal dance instruction at the Cornish
School of Fine and Applied Arts. After two years at the Cornish School, he
studied at Mills College and at Bennington College; this is where he was
invited to join Martha Grahams dance company in 1939. Graham was an
incredible dancer who also choreographed during her career. While dancing for
Graham, Cunningham began to make a name for himself in the dancing community.
It was with Grahams encouragement that Cunningham started to choreograph on
his own. His decision to start choreographing can be looked at as one of the
most important decisions in the history of dance. With the encouragement of
John Cage, a composer, Cunningham left Martha Grahams Dance Company in 1945
to pursue a fulltime partnership with Cage. The two men would go on to have a
very storied career. On the night of April 6, 1944, at the Humphrey Weidman
Studio, Cunningham and Cage performed their first solo recital. In attendance
that night was acclaimed dance critic, Edwin Denby. When he was actively
reviewing, Edwin Denby was this countrys most respected critic of the
dance (Klosty 215). Cunninghams first performance captured Denby from the
very beginning with Cunninghams amazing steps, runs, and knee bends and he
described them as brilliant in lightness and speed. Denby was also impressed
by Cunninghams gifts as a lyric dancer. Denbys first review of Cunningham
helped launch his career forward. Denby ended his review of Cunninghams first
solo performance by saying I have never seen a first solo recital that
combined such taste, such technical finish, such originality of dance
material, and so sure a manner of presentation. Before the 1940s,
expressionist was the leading form of modern dance. Cunningham on the other
hand, was opposed to this type of dance and started to develop his own unique
form of dance. While Graham had usually structured her dances around a certain
narrative, Cunningham developed choreography by chance, a technique in
which isolated movements are assigned sequence by such random methods as
tossing a coin (Britannica Online). Cunningham rejected the literary and
psychological themes of Graham (Encarta). In 1953, Cunningham began the Merce
Cunningham Dance Company at Black Mountain College. Cage became instrumental
in the success and future of Cunninghams newly started Dance Company. Cage
would help out in all facets of the dance company ranging from program
designer to fund raiser. Cunningham and Cage shared the same belief that dance
and music can survive independently of one another. This type of thought was
completely different from what Cunningham had experienced with Graham.
However, in some sense all of their dancing somehow revolved around music in
one way or the other. The music Cunningham used in his productions would
sometimes be impossible to dance to in the conventional way. John Cage was
once quoted as saying: 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. (Merce
Biography) This new style of dance demanded the most out of the dancers in
Cunninghams company. Everything they knew about traditional dancing had to be
forgotten in order to be successful in Cunninghams innovative style.
Traditional stage space was even something that Cunningham had abandoned.
Since the Renaissance Period, the center of the stage had always been the
center of gravity (Klosty 12). Klosty compared the stage to a class society
where the center of the stage was regal, where the soloist should appear, and
the outskirts of the stage were for the leftovers. However, Cunningham refused
to use this stage setup in his dances. The best spot on the floor could be
anywhere at any given time. Cunninghams use of space relationship has made
his dances seem to be overflowing with action. Events in the dance would
happen in one corner of the stage only to be followed up by the next main
section in the opposite corner of the stage. Other people had not implemented
this type of choreography, but the audience embraced this new form with
widespread acceptance. However, other individuals in the dancing community
were less tolerant to Cunninghams new style. Some saw this change as
threatening to their traditional types of dances. One famous dance using
Cunninghams choreography by chance was entitled Suite By Chance
(Britannica Online). Not only did Suite By Chance use this new style of
choreography, it was also the first modern dance to use an electronic score.
This dance was the first major dance where almost everything was to put
together by chance. Since Suite By Chance was choreographed, Cunningham has
used this chance method in every dance he has choreographed. Cunninghams new
style of dance embraced an extraordinarily wide spectrum, from natural,
everyday actions such as sitting down and walking to virtuosic dance
movements (Britannica Online). Dancers were light on their toes allowing them
to be free to move around the stage. Phrases were centered around the torso
and the back with a greater emphasis on the vertical and less emphasis on the
bodys weight and the force of gravity (Britannica Online). Using these
movements, the phrases tended to consist of swift position changes across the
vast space of the stage. After many years of experimenting with this type of
dance, Cunningham chose a new direction for his companys future. Cunningham
chose to do what he called Events. These were simply parts taken from old
and new dances that were put together to create a new dance. The Merce
Cunningham Dance Company continues to use Events in their dance
performances. After this, Cunningham and his company began to produce videos
with their dancing and they also worked in film, producing such titles as
Locale, Duets, and Fielding Sixes. Jack Anderson recently wrote a review of
Into Terra Incognita With Merce Cunningham, which was performed by the Merce
Cunningham Dance Company at the New York State Theater. Cunningham continues
to travel inquisitively across time and space by creating dances for big casts
and small (Anderson). This performance consisted of a 1995 work called
Windows , Sounddance , Occasion Piece. This performance was the only one
during the entire season where Windows was performed. During the performance
of Windows, it was easy to see the distinctive atmosphere (Anderson). It
was a very dim atmosphere with a soft score from Emanuel Dimas de Melo. Melo
used soft rumblings with chimes to help create a mystifying atmosphere
(Anderson). During the performance, the dancers used this atmosphere to help
them move. Anderson described the dancers as to be moving always with care,
but
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