TitleArt of Collaboration: David Vaughan and Mark Lancaster speak at a public program on the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at City Center, 1993-03-11
NamesMerce Cunningham Dance Company (Associated name)Dakin, Judith (Host)Lancaster, Mark, 1938- (Speaker)Vaughan, David, 1924- (Speaker)City Center of Music and Drama (New York, N. Y.) (Host)
CollectionMerce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Audio materials
Dates / OriginDate Created: 1993-03-11
Library locationsRodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded SoundShelf locator: *LTC-A 1456
TopicsCage, JohnCunningham, MerceKomar, ChrisLancaster, Mark, 1938-Merce Cunningham Dance CompanyEnter (Choreographic work : Cunningham)Minutiae (Choreographic work : Cunningham)Neighbors (Choreographic work : Cunningham)Touchbase (Choreographic work : Cunningham)Walkaround time (Choreographic work : Cunningham)Dance costume
GenresLectures
NotesContent: Contains a public conversation by David Vaughan and Mark Lancaster on Merce Cunningham and his collaborative process with visual artists, hosted by Judith Dakin, on the occasion of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's season at City Center.Content: Title, date, speakers, and location provided by cataloger based on handwritten notes on original container and cassette, and audition.Content: Handwritten note on original container and cassette: "Art of Collaboration 3/11/93 ; [David] Vaughan/[Mark] Lancaster".Venue: Recorded at City Center in, New York, New York, 1993 March 11.Acquisition: Gift; Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, 2011-2012.
Physical DescriptionAudiocassetteExtent: 1 audiocassette (73 minutes) : analogSound quality is mostly good; the speakers are recorded at a distance from the microphone.
DescriptionStreaming file 1, side a: Judith Dakin, City Center Executive Director, introduces the Art of Collaboration lecture event including the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's season at City Center, and speakers David Vaughan and Mark Lancaster; they speak about John Cage's recent death and Merce Cunningham's Enter (1993), his newest work created after Cage's death; Lancaster speaks about becoming involved with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company through Cage and his current role as artistic advisor to and designer for the Company; Vaughan speaks about Cunningham and Cage's shared artistic philosophy about the independence of art forms within collaboration; Lancaster speaks about seeing his first Cunningham Dance Company performance in London which he then compares to later Company performances and working as a collaborator with Cunningham; Vaughan speaks briefly about practical concerns in set-making including [Robert] Rauschenberg's set for Minutiae (1954); Dakin tells a brief anecdote about Paul Taylor working with Ellsworth Kelly as a costume designer; they speak more on touring and set designs made by Cunningham's collaborators, including Bruce Nauman's set for Tread (1970) and Andy Warhol's pillows for RainForest (1968); Vaughan speaks about how Cunningham and Cage selected collaborators including Rauschenberg and himself; Lancaster speaks briefly about the use of duration as a tool to coordinate the music and dance; they speak about the Cunningham Company not holding dress rehearsals with all the performance elements prior to a premiere performance; Lancaster speaks about his lighting design for the Cunningham Company; Vaughan speaks more about Cunningham, including: Cunningham's choreography, his use of chance procedures and LifeForms computer software, and his rehearsals with dancers; Vaughan speaks about the live electronic music played during performances; Vaughan speaks about the Company dancers as "being at their most human" while dancing Cunningham's works; Lancaster speaks briefly about seeing different casts of dancers in Cunningham's works; they speak about some of the collaborations that have not occurred for various reasons; Lancaster speaks about creating unique designs for Cunningham, including his cyclorama (backdrop) for Neighbors (1991); they speak about the comedic elements in Neighbors; Vaughan speaks about the set for Walkaround time (1968); ends abruptly.
Streaming file 2, side b: Begins abruptly; David Vaughan continues to speak about the set for Walkaround time (1968); Mark Lancaster continues to speak about his design for Neighbors (1991) and how he approaches collaborating with Merce Cunningham; they speak about the original sets for several works including Minutiae (1954); Vaughan speaks about the audience as being active participants in the performances; Lancaster speaks briefly about his design elements in relation to touring; [ca. 6:29, audience question and answer period begins]; Lancaster speaks about adjusting aspects of his designs based on seeing a work for the first time; Vaughan speaks about Chris Komar and Robert Swinston in their respective roles as Assistant Artistic Director and Assistant to the Choreographer; Lancaster speaks about his set design that included a gate for Touchbase (1993); Lancaster speaks about collaborating with Cunningham; Vaughan speaks about the chance methods that generate the interaction between the dancers rather than narrative; Lancaster speaks about his deepening understanding of Cunningham's choreography; Dakin asks about the future plans of the Company; Lancaster speaks briefly about the importance of the Company's archives; Lancaster speaks about his design for the Touchbase costumes based on the simultaneous setting of the work on the Rambert Dance Company and the Cunningham Company; Dakin makes concluding remarks.
Type of ResourceSound recording
LanguagesEnglish
IdentifiersRLIN/OCLC: 917697412NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b20762159Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): cd00f160-b912-0133-c729-60f81dd2b63c
Rights StatementThis 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).
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