Memories of Merce
July 31, 2009
Merce Cunningham, photo by Annie Leibovitz, 1994
The memories of Merce Cunningham, who died on July 26 at the age of 90, continue to pour in.
Culture Shuk, a project of the Foundation for Jewish Culture, posted some thoughts and a touching memory from Elise Bernhardt, the Foundation’s President and CEO. In spite of her “crazy idea” to present dance in Grand Central Terminal in the late 1980s, Merce apparently “had no airs, only quiet enthusiasm”. Read the entire post at Culture Shuk.
On Art.Cult, Claudia La Rocco shared an appreciation and also posted a note she received from choreographer Trisha Brown. Trisha and Merce shared Pacific Northwest roots.
Celebrate Merce’s life by joining Merce Cunningham Dance Company for site-specific performances this Saturday at 6 PM and Sunday at 2 PM and 6 PM in Rockefeller Park. The performances will include new material and movement from past and current repertory.
Merce Cunningham (1919 – 2009)
July 28, 2009
Merce Cunningham in 1973, photo by Steven Mark Needham
The revolutionary choreographer Merce Cunningham died on Sunday night, July 26, at the age of ninety. He performed with his company until he was seventy, and continued choreographing until three months ago, when the company performed Nearly Ninety at Brooklyn Academy of Music in honor of Merce’s ninetieth birthday. He was truly a pioneer and endless experimenter, revolutionizing how dance is created and how we view it while broadening possibilities for other artists.
There has been an outpouring of tributes and memories from fans, collaborators, and the dance community, and they will certainly continue over the next few weeks, months, and years (WNYC has posted some rare video footage of Merce throughout his career). The Cunningham Dance Foundation asks that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to The Legacy Plan to preserve Merce’s work.
This weekend, Merce Cunningham Dance Company will perform the site-specific piece Event at Rockefeller Park in Lower Manhattan, featuring a unique combination of new material and movement from past and current repertory. The 60-minute performances will feature live music performed by Stephan Moore and David Behrman, members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company Music Committee, and costumes created by wardrobe supervisor Anna Finke. This free event is co-produced by the River to River Festival’s Evening Stars series and The Joyce Theater, with performances on Saturday, August 1st at 6 PM and Sunday, August 2nd at 2 PM and 6 PM.
Merce Cunningham’s innovative spirit and choreographic ingenuity will be missed.
Do We Need Cola-Cola to Dance?
July 24, 2009
This Saturday, Nigerian choreographer and performer Qudus Onikeku will present his documentary Do We Need Cola-Cola to Dance? at Dance Theater Workshop. The film documents the travels of a team of two performers, one sound artist, one video artist, and one photographer throughout Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa as they tour an outdoor performance and interview arts culture workers in order to “structure a future for [themselves] as young professionals.” The artists wonder, if dance is produced every time we move, do we really need a factory to fabricate more? Watch the trailer below.
The free screening, July 25 at 5 PM, will be followed by a question and answer session with Onikeku. Dance Theater Workshop is located at 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
Laid Off NYCB Dancers Speak Out
July 23, 2009
NYCB dancers at the NY State Theater, photo by Kyle Froman
Several of the eleven corps de ballet dancers recently laid off from New York City Ballet spoke out about their experiences and future plans in a recent NY Times article. After the company chose not to release any information about the layoffs, reveal the dancers’ names, or formally recognize them before their final performances, it seems appropriate to hear the dancers share their side of the story and speak openly about their mixed feelings toward the company’s management. As Daniel J. Wakin, the author of the article, accurately wrote, “The corps, like the chorus in an opera, is the body of workhorses who provide the backbone for most of the repertory”, but “they rarely receive the spotlight of soloists and principal dancers, who are often showered with flowers and recognition when they retire.”
On ArtsBeat, the arts and culture blog of the Times, Wakin also wrote a post inviting readers to offer advice to laid-off dancers. There have been a wealth of responses and quite a range of opinions regarding how dancers should move forward. You can join the discussion, or leave a comment here.
Nicholas Leichter Dance: A Space Funk Invasion
July 22, 2009
Nicholas Leichter and Monstah Black
Throughout the next week, Sitelines 2009 and the River to River Festival will present Nicholas Leichter Dance in A Space Funk Invasion. The outdoor, site-specific premiere will be performed at The Seaport’s historic cobblestone district, so that passers-by and patrons of four outdoor bars around the perimeter of the area can take in the performance, which includes music by Daft Punk, The Time, and Monstah Black. According to the press release, the audience should be prepared to see Nicholas Leichter Dance and Monstah Black “bring the energy, sweat, swagger, history and future of funk music, culture, fashion, and dance to The Seaport’s historic cobblestone district.”
A Space Funk Invasion is free and open to the public, located at Fulton and Front Streets. Performances are July 22nd and July 27th through 29th at 6 PM, and July 23rd and 30th at 1 PM. Take the A/C trains to Broadway-Nassau Street or the 2/3/4/5/J/M/Z trains to Fulton Street.
