Blog

I saw one of the last shows that the Merce Cunningham Dance Company will ever do. It was presented at the Armory n NYC and was a unique and beautiful event. Imagine a huge field house with an arced roof, dark and theatrically lit. There were three dance platforms in the space, asymmetrically placed but filling the room. The audience sat, stood, or wandered around the space as they viewed the 50 minute work. There were also about 8 make-shift “balconies” that the audience could climb to so they could view the work. They were maybe 8 feet high. The 10 dancers, fiercely sporting the powder blue and necessary unitards, danced on the different platforms simultaneously. The choreography seemed to be comprised of phrases and sections from Cunningham’s vast repertory. Solos, duets, trios, and group sections were danced. There was  juxtaposition of rhythm, quality, locomotive form, sculptural form, and bodies in space. It almost seemed like a gallery exhibition. The musicians surrounded the space up high and on the main floor. The instruments included brass, acoustic, and laptop computers, all generating sound and music together, synced up by stopwatches being watched over by the musicians. To complete the scene were massive grey and white sculptures that resembled enlarged molecules. These hung from the rafters overhead and cast vast shadows on the walls while giving an artistically scientific feel to the experience.

On first viewing the dancing seems refreshingly cold. Scientific in a way. Truly moving sculptures and forms at their most abstract light. Movement for movement, dealing with time, space, and energy. Forms moving in space and creating picturesque landscapes as the unfolding event moved forward. The dancers reveal everything through the single skin of the form fitting unitard. Their technique revealed in all of its full glory. It’s hard not to wonder what the dance is about and what is happening. There is no blatant narrative or imagery that tries to lead thought or emotion. As time went on and as I watched more and more, some meaning was revealed to me. It became about the dancer. It became about the dancer being human. The endeavor and challenge of accomplishing these tasks are human. I admire their vulnerability and their ability to reveal themselves. There was a sense of pride and connection to the work. I started to really pull for them and felt exhausted and had a sense of proud relief when they accomplished their tasks. When things fell a little off, I was equally engaged. It made sense to me. Their individual dance journeys served as a metaphor for going through our own daily lives. Each day is process filled. We strive for certain goals and feel good when we achieve them, filled with a sense of accomplishment. We also fall and have to find a way to make sense of that as well. Always continuing onward. The striving for a perfect unison reveals flaw and vulnerability. When it is achieved it looks and feels good and right. When it waivers and isn’t quite so perfect, it is still right and reflects a society trying to achieve harmony.

Life is hard and so is a Merce Cunningham Dance. What a thrilling and unique vision!

And then the show just ended.

More information on the future of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

An obituary by Elizabeth Zimmer.