Merce Cunningham: Dancing in Space and Time

by Richard Kostelanetz (Editor)

For nearly sixty years choreographer Merce Cunningham has challenged and provoked audiences by stripping theatrical dance of its traditional narrative and by refusing to unify movement with sound and decor. After initial objections to his style, however, this controversial figure—who has collaborated with avant-garde musicians John Cage, Earle Brown, and David Tudor and artists Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Marcel Duchamp—is now revered as one of the most visionary artists of the century. Merce Cunningham gathers together the most important writings by and about the choreographer, including three classic essays by Cunningham, as well as articles and reviews by Cage; dancers Remy Charlip, Violet Farber, and Carolyn Brown; company archivist David Vaughan; and leading critics Arlene Croce, Jack Anderson, Marcia Siegel, and Edwin Denby. Tracing the development of Cunningham's career from 1944 to 1992, this valuable anthology showcases the tremendous and ever-evolving means of expression that this revolutionary choreographer created.

280 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992