Cunningham, Merce (Mercier Philip Cunningham), 1919–, American modern dancer and choreographer, b. Centralia, Wash. Cunningham studied with Martha Graham Graham, Martha, 1894–1991, American dancer, choreographer, and teacher, b. Pittsburgh. Her family moved from Allegheny, Pa., to Santa Barbara, Calif., when she was 14.
..... Click the link for more information. and was a soloist in her company from 1940 to 1955. He presented his first work in 1942 and formed his own company in 1953, beginning to create innovative dances to the music of avant-garde composers, including his longtime friend and musical director John Cage Cage, John, 1912–92, American composer, b. Los Angeles. A leading figure in the musical avant-garde from the late 1930s, he attended Pomona College and later studied with Arnold Schoenberg , Adolph Weiss, and Henry Cowell .
..... Click the link for more information. . His best-known early works include Suite by Chance and Symphonie pour un homme seul (both 1952), which reveal his spare, expressive style. His works are composed of abrupt changes and suspensions of motion, some performed by autonomously moving dancers in chance sequence, and occur in a decentralized stage space. Cunningham is especially known for his collaborations with contemporary American artists, including Andy Warhol Warhol, Andy, 1928–87, American artist and filmmaker, b. Pittsburgh as Andrew Warhola. The leading exponent of the pop art movement and one of the most influential artists of the late 20th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , Robert Rauschenberg Rauschenberg, Robert (rou`shənbûrg'), 1925–, American painter, b. Port Arthur, Tex.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Jasper Johns Johns, Jasper, 1930–, American artist, b. Augusta, Ga. Influenced by Marcel Duchamp in the mid-1950s, Johns attempted to transform common objects into art by placing them in an art context.
..... Click the link for more information. , who have created sets and costumes for his productions. His later works include Locale and Duets (both 1980); Fabrications (1987); Trackers (1991), the first work he created with the aid of a computer; Crwdspcr (1994); Installations (1996); Scenario (1997); Biped (1999); Way Station (2001); and Split Sides (2003), with music by the experimental rock bands Radiohead and Sigur Ros.

Bibliography

See his The Dancer and Dance (1985); biography by D. Vaughan (1997); studies by J. Klosty (1975), R. Kostelanetz, ed. (1992), and G. Celant, ed. (1999); film documentary, Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance (2002), dir. by C. Atlas.

Cunningham, Merce

Merce Cunningham, 1970.

(credit: Jack Mitchell)

(born April 16, 1919, Centralia, Wash., U.S.) U.S. avant-garde dancer and choreographer. In 1939 he joined Martha Graham's company, where he created roles in several of her works. As an independent choreographer in 1945–52, he began his long collaboration with the composer John Cage. In 1952 Cunningham formed his own company, developing his interest in isolated movement and “choreography by chance.” His Suite by Chance (1952) was the first dance performed to an electronic score. Other works include The Seasons (1947), Summerspace (1958), and Locale (1980).