Interview with Merce Cunningham: Adelaide Festival of Arts, 1976-03

Item data

Title

Interview with Merce Cunningham: Adelaide Festival of Arts, 1976-03

Collection

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Audio materials

Names

Merce Cunningham Dance Company (Associated name)
Cunningham, Merce (Interviewee)
McLennan, Andrew (Interviewer)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Author)
Adelaide Festival (Host)

Date / Origin

Date Created: 1976-03

Library Location

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
Shelf locator: *LT-7-A 2356

Subjects

Cage, John
Cunningham, Merce
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Summerspace (Choreographic work : Cunningham)
Winterbranch (Choreographic work : Cunningham)
Choreography
Dance -- Production and direction

Genres

Interviews

Notes

Content: Title, date and location provided by cataloger based on audition and typed note on original container.
Content: Typed note on printed Australian Broadcasting Commission label on original container: "Merce Cunningham Interview: 1976 Adelaide Festival of Arts ; interviewed by Andrew McLennan ; begins: I studied ; ends: with people moving around".
Content: Interview with Merce Cunningham conducted by Andrew McLennan in 1976 for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Related interviews, appeared on the Australian television program, This day tonight, can be found at the Library for the Performing Arts in *MGZIDVD 5-558. The recordings occurred during a week of performances by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at the Sydney Opera House.
Venue: Recorded at the [Sydney Opera House] in, Sydney, Australia, 1976 [March].
Acquisition: Gift; Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, 2011-2012.

Physical Description

Extent: 1 audiotape reel (20 minutes) : analog, full track, mono ; 7 in.
Sound quality is uneven. At times, Merce Cunningham's voice is at a low volume level and he chews food during the middle of the recording session. In addition, there are occasional loud background noises and voices.

Abstract

Merce Cunningham speaks with Andrew McLennan to give a brief overview of his early training, especially his relationship to Martha Graham and her technique [background speaker noise until 0:30]; his early works with John Cage and their idea of separating the choreography from the music; the financial reasons for his early solos; briefly, the early years of his [Merce Cunningham Dance] Company, its small size and touring in a Volkswagon bus; more on the development of his early choreography, especially in relation to his teaching; his ideas on the purpose of dance technique; briefly, generations of dancers in his company; his perspective on being a dancer; his opinion of the qualities of a great dancer especially in relation to technique; [9:56-11:45, background whirring sound]; briefly, the influence of John Cage on his artistic practices; his intentions behind the movement sequencing in his choreography and Cunningham emphasizes the ways that his work differs from improvisation; his approach to working with composers and how this affects the choreography; [14:59-15:26, loud background sounds nearly obscure Cunningham's voice]; scenery and his choreography, including the Summerspace drop by Robert Rauschenberg; his interest in the layering of distinct artistic production elements; Cunningham lists some of the narrative ways audiences interpreted Winterbranch; his original intention behind the movements in Winterbranch: to explore what a person does when they are falling; more on human balance and falling.

Languages

English

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 880675234
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b20211249
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b88bfa90-b3fa-0133-de43-3c07547a230f

Rights

This item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Type Of Resource

Sound Recording

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