Lecture 9

Question 1

merce cunningham 1940-1945

Answer 1

soloist with graham company

Question 2

merce cunningham 1944

Answer 2

began to give recitals of own work in collaboration with composer john cage

Question 3

merce cunningham 1949

Answer 3

formed the merce cunningham dance company

Question 4

5 major characteristics of merce cunningham’s work

Answer 4

1. decentralized stage
2. fragmentation of the theatre arts
3. chance dance
4. non-narrative, non-representational, abstract
5. freedom of audience interpretation

Question 5

decentralized stage major characteristics of merce cunningham’s work

Answer 5

• eye of the audience is not drawn to one central event
• spectator is given the freedom to look at whatever they wish
• all events onstage are of equal importance
• no hierarchy

Question 6

fragmentation of the theatre arts major characteristics of merce cunningham’s work

Answer 6

• doesn’t integrate the choreography with everything else
• intentionally disrupts the unity
• believed each art should function independently
• each artist should be free to create his own art without considering the other components
• this approach he thought reflected everyday life

Question 7

chance dance major characteristics of merce cunningham’s work

Answer 7

• influenced by john cage

- choreography, music, lighting occur together by chance

Question 8

what are the 3 way cunningham used chance

Answer 8

• fragmentation of theatre arts
• choreography (set himself choreographic tasks and problems)
• sequence of phrases (flipping cards, tossing coins, etc to determine the other of sequences in the dance)

Question 9

since the 1980s what did cunningham use as his only choreographic tool

Answer 9

computer

- lifeforms is a program for generating movement

Question 10

abstract, non representational, non narrative major characteristics of merce cunningham’s work

Answer 10

• works are as such
• no notion of character, story, theme, or mood
• dancers are about movement

Question 11

freedom of audience interpretation major characteristics of merce cunningham’s work

Answer 11

• dance relates more closely to the experience of the viewer than to a specific idea he wanted to communicate
• believed that dance offers multiplicity of meanings to a number of people

Question 12

what technique did merce cunningham create

Answer 12

cunningham dance technique

• one of 3 o become codified
• very specific and highly stylized

Question 13

what is merce cunningham on the cusp between

Answer 13

modern and pm dance

Question 14

merce cunningham introduce many of the ideas that were developed by who

Answer 14

pm choreographers

Question 15

what can merce cunningham be called

Answer 15

an abstractionist