MERCE CUNNINGHAM TRIPLE BILL

SUITE FOR FIVE / VIEWS ON STAGE / XOVER

From 1939 to 1945, the American dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham (1919) danced with the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company in New York. He soon turned against the tradition and principles of this expressionist ‘modern dance’. In 1953 he founded the Merce Cunningham Dance Company together with John Cage. As the father of American ‘postmodern dance’ he launched a radical democratisation of dance. Any movement can be dance; dance can be about anything, but is above all about the human body in motion. ‘Dance is motion, not in motion’, is one of his oft-quoted statements. Cunningham sees choreography, music, costumes, set and lighting as functioning as separate, even independent components of a dance performance. Cunningham is now 87 years old and is still at work as a choreographer.
This triple bill demonstrates how intimately the work of Cunningham and Cage is connected, and gives us an historical overview of the oeuvre of this ‘bad boys’ duo. Suite for Five is one of his pioneering works, Views on Stage has become a typical repertoire piece, and lastly there is the European premiere of his latest creation, XOVER, on Cage's Aria and Fontana Mix.

choreography: Merce Cunningham - dance: Merce Cunningham Dance Company - musical direction: Takehisa Kosugi

SUITE FOR FIVE (1956-58):
Music for Piano nrs. 4-19: John Cage (1912-1992) - piano: Christian Wolff - costume design: Robert Rauschenberg - lighting design: Beverly Emmons

VIEWS ON STAGE (2004)
ASLSP / Music for Two: John Cage - piano: Christian Wolff - percussion: William Winant - set: Ernesto Neto - costume design: James Hall - lighting design: Josh Johnson

XOVER (2007, European premiere)
Fontana Mix / Aria: John Cage - voice: Joan La Barbara - set and costume design: Robert Rauschenberg