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45-459: Judson Dance Theater grew out of a composition class held at Merce Cunningham 's studio, taught by Robert Dunn , a musician who had studied experimental music theory with John Cage . A Concert of Dance , the first Judson concert, took place on July 6, 1962, and included the work of 14 choreographers performed by 17 people, some of whom were students in the Dunn composition class. Other performers in

90-545: A direct point of reference." In 2018, the Museum of Modern Art mounted a retrospective exhibition, Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done , which included the work of Yvonne Rainer, Deborah Hay, David Gordon, Lucinda Childs, Steve Paxton, and Trisha Brown, among others. Developments in dance practice that can be traced back to the Judson Dance Theater include: Some of the notable artists who were part of

135-401: A particular sound—what did the I Ching suggest? Well, I took this also for dance . I was working on a title called, "Untitled Solo", and I had made—using the chance operations—a series of movements written on scraps of paper for the legs and the arms, the head, all different. And it was done not to the music but with the music of Christian Wolff . Cunningham valued the process of a work over

180-428: A pile of second-hand clothes picked out by the designer, Robert Rauschenberg . Rauschenberg was also responsible for creating a new set for every show with items he found in the theatre. Suite by Chance (1953) was his first work made entirely through chance procedures. Charts were created listing elements such as space, time, and positions. A coin was then tossed to determine each of these elements. Canfield (1969)

225-598: A profound impact on avant-garde art beyond the world of dance. As a choreographer, teacher, and leader of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Cunningham had a profound influence on modern dance . Many dancers who trained with Cunningham formed their own companies. They include Paul Taylor , Remy Charlip , Viola Farber , Charles Moulton , Karole Armitage , Deborah Hay , Robert Kovich, Foofwa d'Imobilité , Kimberly Bartosik, Flo Ankah , Jan Van Dyke , Jonah Bokaer , and Alice Reyes . In 2009,

270-795: A soloist in the Martha Graham Dance Company for six years. He presented his first solo concert in New York in April 1944 with composer John Cage , who became his lifelong romantic partner and frequent collaborator until Cage's death in 1992. In the summer of 1953, as a teacher in residence at Black Mountain College , Cunningham formed the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Throughout his career, Cunningham choreographed more than 200 dances and over 800 Events , or site-specific choreographic works. In 1963 he joined with Cage to create

315-431: A three-screen animation that was commissioned by and premiered at SIGGRAPH in 1998. This led to a live dance for the stage, BIPED , for which Kaiser and Eshkar provided the projected decor. In 2008, Cunningham released his Loops choreography for the hands as motion-capture data under a Creative Commons license; this was the basis for the open-source collaboration of the same name with The OpenEnded Group . Cunningham

360-608: The Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, headed by Nellie Cornish , from 1937 to 1939 to study acting, but found drama's reliance on text and miming too limiting and concrete. Cunningham preferred the ambiguous nature of dance, which gave him an outlet for exploration of movement. During this time, Martha Graham saw Cunningham dance and invited him to join her company. In 1939, Cunningham moved to New York City and danced as

405-802: The East Village area of the Manhattan borough of New York City . Founded in 1974 by Barbara Dilley , Mary Overlie , and Larry Fagin to support the creation of new work in dance and performance. A fire damaged the church in 1978 and performances were temporarily held at the Third Street Music School. Judy Hussie-Taylor became the Executive Director in 2008. In 2010, she launched the Platform series, which invites an artist to curate performances and events around

450-786: The Walker Art Center 's first performance, instigating what would be a 25-year collaborative relationship with the Walker. In his performances, he often used the I Ching to determine the sequence of his dances and, often, dancers were not informed of the order until the night of the performance. In addition to his role as choreographer, Cunningham performed as a dancer in his company into the early 1990s. In 1968 Cunningham published his book Changes: Notes on Choreography , edited by Francis Starr, containing various sketches of his choreography. A mural, located in Washington Hall on

495-675: The Cunningham Dance Foundation announced the Legacy Plan, a plan for the continuation of Cunningham's work and the celebration and preservation of his artistic legacy. Cunningham earned some of the highest honours bestowed in the arts, including the National Medal of Arts and the MacArthur Fellowship . He also received Japan's Praemium Imperiale and a British Laurence Olivier Award , and

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540-637: The Judson Dance Theater were: Source: Further reading Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip " Merce " Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other disciplines, including musicians John Cage , David Tudor , Brian Eno , and graphic artists Robert Rauschenberg , Bruce Nauman , Andy Warhol , Roy Lichtenstein , Frank Stella , and Jasper Johns ; and fashion designer Rei Kawakubo . Works that he produced with these artists had

585-652: The Judson Memorial Church. Throughout the next two years, nearly two hundred works were presented by the collective. The name Judson Dance Theater was adopted in April 1963. Members also independently participated in performance and multimedia art installations, or " Happenings ", which took place around the city at that time. American artists notable for their contributions or influence to the Judson Dance Theater were painter Robert Rauschenberg , conceptual artists Robert Morris and Andy Warhol , and composer John Herbert McDowell. Choreographers who influenced

630-674: The Merce Cunningham Dance Company was held March 15, 2012, in Cunningham's studio at the top of the Westbeth building in the West Village. There have been numerous exhibitions dedicated to Cunningham's work. Also, his visual art was represented by Margarete Roeder Gallery until her death on December 11, 2023. The major exhibition Invention: Merce Cunningham & Collaborators at the New York Public Library for

675-798: The Performing Arts closed on October 13, 2007. Merce Cunningham: Dancing on the Cutting Edge , an exhibition of recent design for MCDC, opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, in January 2007. A trio of exhibitions devoted to John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and Merce Cunningham, curated by Ron Bishop, was shown in the spring of 2002 at the Gallery of Fine Art, Edison College, Fort Myers, Florida. A major exhibition about Cunningham and his collaborations, curated by Germano Celant,

720-597: The approach he used to create décor for several MCDC's early works, served as the company's resident designer from 1954 through 1964. Jasper Johns followed as Artistic Advisor from 1967 until 1980, and Mark Lancaster from 1980 through 1984. The last Advisors to be appointed were William Anastasi and Dove Bradshaw in 1984. Other artists who have collaborated with MCDC include Daniel Arsham , Tacita Dean , Liz Phillips , Rei Kawakubo , Roy Lichtenstein , Bruce Nauman , Ernesto Neto , Frank Stella , Benedetta Tagliabue , and Andy Warhol . John Cage and I became interested in

765-538: The artists aimed to dissolve the line between art and daily life. Ordinary gestures pursued a straightforward, unembellished rapport with their audience, using simplicity to emphasize the authenticity of their movements. The Judson Dance Theater’s aesthetic was “never monolithic; it was deliberately undefined and unrestricted.” Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A, welcomed "anyone who wanted to learn it, skilled and unskilled, trained and untrained, professional and amateur". By making Trio A available to anyone interested, Rainer questioned

810-484: The boundaries of "putting on a show", the removal of centre stage is an example of this—without a focal point for the audience, no one dancer or step holds the most value and can be seen as arbitrary ... or not. The Cunningham Dance Foundation announced the Legacy Plan (LLP) in June 2009. The Plan provided a roadmap for the future of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, as envisioned by Cunningham. The first of its kind in

855-680: The campus of Centralia College , was created in honor of Cunningham. Cunningham continued to live in New York City and lead his dance company as Artistic Director until his death. He presented his last work, a new work, Nearly Ninety , in April 2009, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music , New York, to mark his 90th birthday. Later that year he died in his home at the age of 90. Cunningham formed Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC) at Black Mountain College in 1953. Guided by its leader's radical approach to space, time and technology,

900-485: The central voice in dance works and instead valued communal methods to create work. Judson Dance Theater’s practices around democratic structures, improvisation, and the use of untrained performers contributed to a broader rethinking of dance’s boundaries. By prioritizing process and integrating everyday movement, Judson artists prompted reflections on accessibility, collaboration, and the role of art in everyday life. These early experiments remain significant in understanding

945-521: The company has forged a distinctive style, reflecting Cunningham's technique and illuminating the near limitless possibility for human movement. The original company included dancers Carolyn Brown , Viola Farber , Marianne Preger-Simon , Paul Taylor , and Remy Charlip , and musicians John Cage and David Tudor . In 1964 the Cunningham Dance Foundation was established to support his work. MCDC made its first international tour in 1964, visiting Europe and Asia. From 1971 until its dissolution in 2012,

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990-688: The company was based in the Westbeth Artists Community in the West Village ; for a time Cunningham himself lived a block away at 107 Bank Street , with John Cage. On July 20, 1999, Merce Cunningham and Mikhail Baryshnikov performed together at the New York State Theater for Cunningham's 80th birthday. In its later years, the company had a two-year residency at Dia:Beacon , where MCDC performed Events , Cunningham's site-specific choreographic collages, in

1035-601: The concert were members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company , as well as visual artists, filmmakers, and composers. The concert included works by Yvonne Rainer , Steve Paxton , David Gordon , Alex and Deborah Hay , Fred Herko , Elaine Summers , William Davis, and Ruth Emerson. Beginning in the Fall of 1962, the group held weekly workshops at which they performed and received critiques. These meetings were held first at Yvonne Rainer's studio, then at

1080-467: The dance world, the plan represented Cunningham's vision for continuing his work in the upcoming years, transitioning his company once he was no longer able to lead it, and preserving his oeuvre. The Legacy Plan included a comprehensive digital documentation and preservation program, which ensures that pieces from his repertory can be studied, performed and enjoyed by future generations with knowledge of how they originally came to life. By other provisions of

1125-435: The evolution of contemporary dance and performance practices. In 1964 when the company performances ceased, the legacy of the group continued as individual members continued to create work that upheld the group's fundamental philosophies. For instance, James Waring and his dancers continued presenting work, as well as original members and second generation Judson performers. Perhaps the most influential aspect of Judson's legacy

1170-520: The exclusivity of traditional dance and reflected Judson’s inclusive, experimental attitude. This gesture suggested a new perspective on dance training, emphasizing the value of participation and accessibility. Rainer’s openness to teaching Trio A to a wide audience highlighted Judson’s emphasis on experimentation over perfection, fostering an inclusive atmosphere that aligned with the era’s social and political climate. The collective nature of Judson further distinguished it from many other dance companies of

1215-1055: The galleries of Richard Serra , Dan Flavin , and Sol LeWitt , among others. In 2007, MCDC premiered XOVER , Cunningham's final collaboration with Rauschenberg, at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. In 2009, MCDC premiered Cunningham's newest work, Nearly Ninety , at the Brooklyn Academy of Music . The company concluded its farewell tour on December 31, 2011, with a performance at the Park Avenue Armory . Merce Cunningham Dance Company frequently collaborated with visual artists, architects, designers, and musicians. Many of Cunningham's most famous innovations were developed in collaboration with composer John Cage , his life partner. Cunningham and Cage used chance procedures to generate material, discarding many artistic traditions of narrative and form. Famously, they asserted that dance and its music should not be intentionally coordinated with one another. John Cage, after his death,

1260-414: The group included Merce Cunningham , Simone Forti , Anna Halprin , and James Waring , among others. Yvonne Rainer 's "No Manifesto", in which she rejects any confines to technique, thrill, spectacle, glamour, or assumed space, is a prime example of many of the artistic intentions of the cooperative: a rejection of spectacular, virtuosic, narrative, and expressive choreographic approaches. The collective

1305-538: The plan, the Merce Cunningham Trust, established by Cunningham to serve as the custodian for his works, controls his dances for licensing purposes; Cunningham associates prepared detailed records of the dances so they could be licensed and given authentic productions by other companies. Besides, the plan outlined a final international tour for the company, and, ultimately, the closure of the Cunningham Dance Foundation and Merce Cunningham Dance Company and

1350-570: The product. Because of his strong interest in the creation of the choreography he used chance procedures in his work. A chance procedure means that the order of the steps or sequence is unknown until the actual performance and is decided by chance. For instance in his work Suite by Chance he used the toss of a coin to determine how to put the choreographed sequences together. Indeterminacy was another part of Cunningham's work. Many of his pieces had sections or sequences that were rehearsed so that they could be put in any order and done at any time. Although

1395-521: The second of three sons. Both of his brothers followed their father, Clifford D. Cunningham, into the legal profession. Cunningham first experienced dance while living in Centralia. He took tap dance class from a local teacher, Mrs Maude Barrett, whose energy and spirit taught him to love dance. Her emphasis on precise musical timing and rhythm provided him with a clear understanding of musicality that he implemented in his later dance pieces. He attended

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1440-469: The stage; it need not even be frontally oriented, but can be viewed from any angle (at performances in Cunningham's studio, for instance, audiences are seated in an L-shaped configuration). The viewer's focus is never directed to a particular spot; he must often decide among many centres of activity. Merce Cunningham saw randomness and arbitrariness as positive qualities because they exist in real life. Most of Cunningham's choreographic process works to break

1485-408: The time, which tended to center on the vision of a single artistic director. Judson’s democratic structure encouraged shared authority and collaboration, with each artist contributing unique ideas. This approach allowed artists to exist as collaborators and experiments without strict adherence to a singular aesthetic or hierarchy. Judson at its core questioned the traditional role of the choreographer as

1530-466: The transfer of all assets to the Merce Cunningham Trust. From Merce's death at age 90 through the Board's last meeting in 2012, the Legacy Plan implemented his wish that the company complete a worldwide legacy tour and then close. The final performance of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company was on December 31, 2011, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The final meeting of the board of directors for

1575-664: The use of chance in the 50s. I think one of the very primary things that happened then was the publication of the " I Ching ", the Chinese book of changes, from which you can cast your fortune: the hexagrams. Cage took it to work in his way of making compositions then; and he used the idea of 64—the number of the hexagrams —to say that you had 64, for example, sounds; then you could cast, by chance, to find which sound first appeared, cast again, to say which sound came second, cast again, so that it's done by, in that sense, chance operations. Instead of finding out what you think should follow—say

1620-721: The use of chance operations was considered an abrogation of artistic responsibility, Cunningham was thrilled by a process that arrives at works that could never have been created through traditional collaboration. This does not mean, however, that Cunningham considered every piece created in this fashion a masterpiece. Those dances that did not "work" were quickly dropped from the repertory, while those that did were celebrated as serendipitous discoveries. Cunningham used "non-representational" choreography which simply emphasizes movement, and does not necessarily represent any historical narrative, emotional situation, or idea. Such non-representational dance appears in many styles throughout history, but

1665-440: Was a place for collaboration between artists in fields such as, dance, writing, film, music and multi-media. Although the collective remained in an undefined state, certain recurring themes and methods emerged from the work at Judson Dance Theater. Democratic structures, improvisational methods, and a focus on process rather than product defined the group’s identity. Drawing inspiration from everyday actions like walking and sitting,

1710-545: Was created by using playing cards. Each movement was assigned a playing card and chosen randomly. Cunningham's lifelong passion for exploration and innovation made him a leader in applying new technologies to the arts. He began investigating dance on film in the 1970s, and after 1991 choreographed using the computer program LifeForms, a software made by Zella Wolofsky , Tom Calvert, and Thecla Schiphorst . Cunningham explored motion capture technology with digital artists Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar to create Hand-drawn Spaces ,

1755-855: Was first seen at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona in 1999, and subsequently at the Fundação de Serralves, Porto, Portugal, 1999; the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, 2000; and the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Castello di Rivoli, Turin, 2000. Cunningham choreographed almost 200 works for his company. Danspace Project Danspace Project is a performance venue for contemporary dance . Its performances are held in St. Mark's Church in

1800-650: Was named Officier of the Légion d'honneur in France. Cunningham's life and artistic vision have been the subject of numerous books, films, and exhibitions, and his works have been presented by groups including the Paris Opéra Ballet , New York City Ballet , American Ballet Theatre , White Oak Dance Project , and London's Rambert Dance Company . Merce Cunningham was born in Centralia, Washington , in 1919,

1845-415: Was not commonly used by ballet or Martha Graham , Cunningham's primary influences. In the use of chance procedures, Cunningham abandoned the more traditional structured form of dance. He did not believe that dance needs a beginning, middle or end. In Sixteen Dances for Soloist and Company of Three (1951), Cunningham used Indeterminacy for the first time in this piece; the changing element for each show

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1890-480: Was not the work they produced, but the lens through which they regarded their work, which promoted the concept that anything could be looked at as dance. In 2012, 50 years after the first Judson Dance Theater performance, Danspace Project presented the series Platform 2012: Judson Now , which featured "work by Judson-era artists reflecting their current artistic interests and includ[ing] artists who influenced Judson pre-1962 and contemporary artists who claim Judson as

1935-626: Was one of the first choreographers to begin experimenting with film. He created an original work for the video Westbeth (1974) in collaboration with filmmaker Charles Atlas The computer program later became DanceForms and uses avatars of dancers with color-coded limbs as a platform for choreography. In 2009, Cunningham's interest in new media led to the creation of the behind-the-scenes webcast Mondays with Merce . The use of stage space also changed in Cunningham's choreography. The "front and centre" spot traditionally coveted by soloists no longer exists in his works. Dance can take place on any part of

1980-564: Was succeeded in the role of music director by David Tudor . After 1995, MCDC's music director was Takehisa Kosugi . MCDC commissioned more work from contemporary composers than any other dance company. Its repertory included works by musicians ranging from Cage and Gordon Mumma to Gavin Bryars , as well as popular bands like Radiohead , Sigur Rós and Sonic Youth . The company also collaborated with an array of visual artists and designers. Robert Rauschenberg , whose famous "Combines" reflect

2025-449: Was the sequence of the sections. In Field Dances (1963), Cunningham experimented with giving the dancer more freedom. Each dancer was given a sequence of movements with which they could do as they pleased. This included exiting and entering at will, executing it in any order and as many times as desired. In Story (1963), Cunningham experimented with the variables of costumes and sets. Before each performance dancers chose an outfit from

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