Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
Merce Cunningham was born on April 16, 1919, in Centralia, Washington. His full name is Merce Kenneth Cunningham.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: April 16, 1919
Died: July 26, 2009
Nationality and Profession(s)
Merce Cunningham was an American dancer, choreographer, and director who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern dance.
Early Life and Background
Cunningham began his dance training at a young age, studying at the Cornish School (now Cornish College of the Arts) in Seattle. In 1939, he joined the Western Washington College of Education's dance program, where he met John Cage, who would later become a lifelong collaborator.
During World War II, Cunningham served as a naval officer and performed with various military bands. After the war, he moved to New York City and became part of the modern dance scene, working with Martha Graham and other prominent choreographers.
Major Accomplishments
Cunningham's career spanned over 60 years and included numerous commissions from major ballet companies, as well as his own company, Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2009 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Cunningham's most notable works include:
RainForest (1968): A dance that explored the relationship between movement and sound.
Sounddance (1982): A work that integrated electronic music into the performance.
* Ocean (1994): A large-scale production that showcased Cunningham's ability to adapt his choreography to different settings.
Impact and Legacy
Cunningham's impact on modern dance is immeasurable. He was a pioneer in the field of postmodern dance, and his emphasis on collaboration with musicians and visual artists helped shape the course of contemporary art. His work continues to inspire new generations of dancers and choreographers.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Cunningham's legacy extends far beyond his own work as a choreographer. He was a visionary who pushed the boundaries of what dance could be, and his influence can be seen in many areas of art and culture. His collaboration with John Cage on the concept of "chance" in dance, for example, has had a lasting impact on the way artists approach creativity.
Cunningham's emphasis on process over product also helped to redefine the role of the artist in the 20th century. By embracing chance and unpredictability, he showed that art could be created without the need for traditional notions of beauty or perfection.
Today, Merce Cunningham is widely remembered as a master choreographer who expanded the possibilities of dance. His quotes and writings continue to inspire artists and dancers around the world, serving as a reminder of the power of creativity and collaboration.
Quotes by Merce Cunningham
Our emotions are constantly being propelled by some new face in the sky, some new rocket to the moon, some new sound in the ear, but they are the same emotions.
You do not separate the human being from the actions he does or the actions which surround him, but you see what it is like to break these actions up in different ways, to allow passion - and it is passion - to appear for each person in his own way.
My work always comes from the same source - from movement. It doesn't necessarily come from an outside idea, though the source can be something small or large that I've seen, often birds or other animals. The seeing can then provoke the imagining.
What really made me think about space and begin to think about ways to use it was Einstein's statement that there are no fixed points in space. Everything in the universe is moving all the time.
It is upon the length and breadth and span of a body sustained in muscular action that dance invokes its image.
All these dismal things that are going on in the world - the isolation and the sickness and the governments and the pollution - it's so frightful, over the whole world.
Dancing has a continuity of its own that need not be dependent upon either the rise or fall of sound or the pitch and cry of words. Its force of feeling lies in the physical image, fleeting or static.