Merce Cunningham Biography (1919-)

Born April 16, 1919, in Centralia, WA; son of Clifford D. Cunningham. Addresses: Office and Studio--Cunningham Dance Foundation, 55 Bethune St., New York, NY 10014-2010.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Birth Details: April 16, 1919; Centralia, Washington, United States

Famous Works

Credits; Stage Choreographer
The Seasons, Ballet Society (now known as New York City Ballet), 1947.
Sixteen Dances for Soloist and Company of Three, 1951.
Septet, 1953.
Springweather and People, 1955.
Suite for Five, 1956.
Antic Meet, 1958.
Summerspace, 1958, later New York City Ballet, 1966.
Rune, 1959.
Crises, 1960.
Aeon, 1961.
Stony, 1963.
Winterbranch, 1964.
Variations V, 1965.
How to Pass, Kick, Fall, and Run, 1965.
Scramble, 1967.
RainForest, 1968.
Canfield, 1969.
Second Hand, 1970.
Signals, 1970.
Landrover, 1972.
Un Jour ou Deux, Paris Autumn Festival, Paris Opera Ballet, Paris, France, 1973, later, 1986.
Sounddance, 1975.
Rebus, 1975.
Torse, 1976.
Squaregame, 1976.
Travelogue, 1977.
Exchange, 1978.
Duets, 1980, later American Ballet Theatre, 1982.
Gallopade, 1981.
Trails, 1982.
Quartet, 1982.
Roaratorio, 1983.
Pictures, 1984.

Doubles, 1984.
Native Green, 1985.
Arcade, 1985.
Grange Eve, 1986.
Fabrications, 1987.
Five Stone Wind, 1988.
Cargo X, 1989.
Field and Figures, 1989.
August Pace, 1989.
Polarity, 1990.
Neighbors, 1991.
Trackers, 1991.
Beach Birds, 1991.
Change of Address, 1992.
Enter, 1992.
Doubletoss, 1993.
CRWDSPCR, 1993.
Breakers, 1994.
Ocean, 1994.
Ground Level Overlay, 1995.
Windows, 1995.
Roudo, 1996.
Scenario, 1997.
Pond Way, 1998.
Choreographer of more than one-hundred works for Merce Cunningham Dance Company and other companies in the United States and abroad, including BostonBallet, Charleroi/Danses, Cullberg Ballet (Stockholm), Ohio Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Rambert Dance Company (London, England), Repertory Dance Theatre(Salt Lake City, UT), GRCOP (Paris, France), Theatre du Silence (France), andWhite Oak Dance Project. Also choreographer of Events.
Credits; Television Appearances; Specials
"Merce Cunningham Dance Company: Event for Television," Dance in America,PBS, 1977.
Award recipient, The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1985.
"Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint" (also known as "Jasper Johns: Racing Thoughts"), American Masters, PBS, 1989.
"John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I'm Saying It," American masters, PBS, 1990.
Interviewee, "Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud," American Masters, PBS, 1996.
Credits; Television Choreographer; Specials
"Deli Commedia," Great Performances, PBS, 1985.
"Duets" in "Balanchine and Cunningham: An Evening at the American BalletTheatre," Great Performances, PBS, 1988.
Credits; Film Appearances
Beach Birds for Camera, 1990.
Cage/Cunningham (documentary), Cunningham Dance Foundation, 1991.
Credits; Film Work; Choreographer
Blue Studio: Five Factions, 1977.
Locale, 1979.
Channels/Inserts, 1981.
Coast Zone, 1983.
Points in Space, 1986.
Changing Steps, 1988.
Writings
Changes: Notes on Choreography, edited by Frances Starr, Something Else Press (New York City), 1968.
Le danseur et la danse: Entretiens avec Jacqueline Lesschaeve, Pierre Belfond (Paris, France), 1980, translation published as The Dancer and the Dance: Conversations with Jacqueline Lesschaeve, Marion Boyars (New York City), 1985.
Merce Cunningham: Dancing in Space and Time, collected and edited by Richard Kostelanetz, A Capella Books, 1992.
Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years, chronicled and commentary by David Vaughan, Aperture, 1997.
Contributor to books, including The Dance Has Many Faces, World Publishing, 1951; Modern Culture and the Arts, McGraw-Hill, 1967; The Creative Experience, Grossman, 1970; and Esthetics Contemporary, Prometheus Books, 1978. Contributor to periodicals, including Dance Magazine and New York Times.

Further Reference

Electronic:

Merce Cunningham Dance, http://www.merce.org/.

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