Merce Cunningham on Collaborating with John Cage
In this 1989 footage, choreographer Merce Cunningham discusses his work and collaboration with composer John Cage.
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Transcript
00:00:00:10 - 00:00:13:00
Unknown
Cage ran his speaking voice through a synthesizer to create the music for Points in Space, a dance created to be performed for the television cameras of the BBC.
00:00:13:03 - 00:00:21:00
Unknown
Stage.
00:00:21:02 - 00:00:49:03
Unknown
Cunningham created Points in space using not only his unique use of time, but also a different concept of space space as it exists not on a stage but in a camera. The first time I looked through a camera, I thought, oh, it's marvelous. It's totally different. There's another kind of possibility. It is because he sees other kinds of possibilities, that Merce Cunningham has been widely recognized as a creative force.
00:00:49:06 - 00:01:21:03
Unknown
He's had a number of famous collaborators. Artist Andy Warhol created a set of silver pillows for a set. Painter Robert Rauschenberg was the dance company's first resident designer. Cunningham has received a number of prestigious awards, including the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award in 1985. At the awards ceremony, President Ronald Reagan said he removed from the art of choreography all that had hitherto been thought essential traditional music, dramatic motivation and structure.
00:01:21:09 - 00:01:49:17
Unknown
What is left is pure movement, and it is that pure movement that is most characteristic of his work. Dancing or movement is far more fascinating to everybody than they realize. Not necessarily dancing, but movement itself, because our daily life is full of it. Merce Cunningham has certainly brought new life to movement in the dance, and as his creative energy seemed to show, no signs of stopping me a little tighter.
00:01:49:18 - 00:01:55:18
Unknown
He may well keep on for years, creating dances, bringing new movement to life.
Unknown
Cage ran his speaking voice through a synthesizer to create the music for Points in Space, a dance created to be performed for the television cameras of the BBC.
00:00:13:03 - 00:00:21:00
Unknown
Stage.
00:00:21:02 - 00:00:49:03
Unknown
Cunningham created Points in space using not only his unique use of time, but also a different concept of space space as it exists not on a stage but in a camera. The first time I looked through a camera, I thought, oh, it's marvelous. It's totally different. There's another kind of possibility. It is because he sees other kinds of possibilities, that Merce Cunningham has been widely recognized as a creative force.
00:00:49:06 - 00:01:21:03
Unknown
He's had a number of famous collaborators. Artist Andy Warhol created a set of silver pillows for a set. Painter Robert Rauschenberg was the dance company's first resident designer. Cunningham has received a number of prestigious awards, including the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award in 1985. At the awards ceremony, President Ronald Reagan said he removed from the art of choreography all that had hitherto been thought essential traditional music, dramatic motivation and structure.
00:01:21:09 - 00:01:49:17
Unknown
What is left is pure movement, and it is that pure movement that is most characteristic of his work. Dancing or movement is far more fascinating to everybody than they realize. Not necessarily dancing, but movement itself, because our daily life is full of it. Merce Cunningham has certainly brought new life to movement in the dance, and as his creative energy seemed to show, no signs of stopping me a little tighter.
00:01:49:18 - 00:01:55:18
Unknown
He may well keep on for years, creating dances, bringing new movement to life.