The Cunningham

Technique

Merce Cunningham
1919-2009

Merce Cunningham
MERCE CUNNINGHAM, born in
Washington, received his first formal
dance and theater training at the Cornish
School (now Cornish College of the Arts)
in Seattle. From 1939 to 1945, he was a
soloist in the company of Martha Graham.
He presented his first New York solo
concert with John Cage in April 1944.

Merce Cunningham
After five years as a
soloist in the company
of Martha Graham, he
began choreographing
independently, first in
solo concerts, then in
1953 he formed his
own company, whose
fiftieth anniversary was
celebrated in 2003.

Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
was formed at Black Mountain
College in the summer of 1953.
Since that time Cunningham
choreographed nearly 200 works
for his company.

Merce Cunningham
Cunningham is not interested in
telling stories or exploring
psychological relationships: the
subject matter of his dances is the
dance itself.

Merces Approach
Cunningham
believed that dance
and its musical
accompaniment
co-exist in the
same time and
place, but that
neither should be
dependent upon
the other.

Merces Approach
Some of his works
are performed in
silence, while others
were the result of a
lifelong collaboration
with the innovative
composer and
theorist John Cage.

Merce Cunningham
In the course of their work together, they
proposed a number of radical innovations.
The most famous and controversial of
these concerned the relationship of dance
and music, both of which are time arts.

Merce Cunningham
Therefore, they came
to the conclusion that
the two should exist
independently,
occurring in the same
time and space but
without supporting or
being connected to one
another in the usual
way.

Merce Cunningham
Both Cunningham and Cage made
extensive use of chance procedures,
which meant that not only musical forms
but narrative and other conventional
elements of dance composition, such as
cause and effect, climax and anticlimax,
were also abandoned.

Chance Dance
Cunningham explored
chance dance a
semi-improvisational
form of choreography
in which set
movements were
rearranged for each
performance in terms
of sequence, location
and dancers involved.

Chance Dance
In defense of his technique, which
defied expected traditions and sometimes
bewildered audiences, he stated, What is
the point of doing what you already
know?

Merces Technique
Instead of telling a story, Merce was more
interested in movement for its own sake.
He strived to incorporate into his
technique both the modern dancers
emphasis on the torso and spine, and the
ballet dancers use of arms and legs.

 Cunningham technique requires clarity of body

and mind.
Cunningham demanded flawless technique from
his dancers: rigorous, quicksilver footwork (what
he called frisky feet); challenging balances,
often with the body curved or tilted; and great,
bursting leap combinations at the end of class.
The technique also works on directional changes
and focus. Dancers must know where their
bodies are in space and make sudden changes
of direction crisply.

 What happens above the waist, particularly to the spine,

is of utmost importance to becoming a proficient
Cunningham dancer. The class begins in the center, with
ballet barre-like combinations that incorporate the upper
body and torso as well as arms and legs. The warm-up
starts with a sequence of exercises for the spine,
learning and practicing how to articulate the upper spine
from the lower spine and distinguishing curves to
thefront, diagonal corners, sides, and back. The pelvis
may also engage, but not in an aggressive, breathsapping contraction reminiscent of Graham; instead a
full-bodied curve involves the entire spine from tailbone
to top of neck. In brain-teaserlike fashion, patterned
arm movements overlay the feet and torso, giving both
body and mind a complete workout.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3Mz
oX2ZkPc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3Mz
oX2ZkPc