April 16
Born Today:
Merce Cunningham
Postmodern dance pioneer Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) was one of the first men to perform with Martha Graham (1894-1991). He formed his own company in 1953 and broke from her narrative style, instead making dances through “chance procedures” in order to remove his own movement preferences from the work. He collaborated with postmodern visual artists Andy Warhol, whose memorable helium-filled silver pillows created a moving landscape in Rainforest (1968) and Robert Rauschenberg, who created the stippled backdrop the dancers (in painted unitards) blended into in Summerspace (1958). Cunningham’s longtime collaborator and life partner was postmodern composer John Cage, an artist who considered all sounds as possible musical accompaniment. These collaborations often came together late in the production process, as Cunningham believed that dance did not have to be closely related to the music - it could just exist at the same time onstage. His dances were timed and often the dancers heard the accompanying music during the first performance. Cunningham also believed that all points on a stage were worthy of attention, not just the center of the stage. His choreography deviated from rules set by early modern dancers and he inspired the next generation of dancers to explore the boundaries of the art form.
Also Born Today: Early ballerina Emilie Bigottini (1784-1858), who frequently performed with Monsieur Albert (1787-1865) and was best known for performing a mad scene in the 1813 ballet Nina, La Folle par Amour.