Merce Cunningham Takes A Final Bow At 90 Years

He was one of the most influential, inventive & original choreographers of the 20th century. Merce Cunningham was born in Centralia Washington & studies at Cornish School for the Arts In Seattle, where he met composer John Cage who was working there as an accompanist. Cage would become Cunningham's artistic collaborator & life partner for 54 years, until the death of Cage in 1992. They were role models to me when I was just coming out at 17. At Cornish, Cunningham became aware of Martha Graham & after they met in 1939, he became only the 2nd male to dance with her company. He created several dances for her & became a soloist with the company. Cage moved to NYC to be with Cunningham & they started to produce their own work in 1944. The pair became good friends & occasional lovers of painters Robert Rauschenberg & Jasper Johns. The two couples were at the start a circle of young gay artists whose ideas not only challenged the macho self-expressive Abstract Expressionists, who were to dominate the 1950s New York art scene, but also provided a model or alternative creative process that has become the hallmark of post-modern art. In 1953, Cunningham formed the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. For over 4 decades, it has provided a unique place in American dance. The company continues tp perform both new & revived works. Merce Cunningham was major force in 20th century art & performance & he has received the National Medal of Arts & membership in the American Academy & the Institute of Arts & Letters. My friend Walter Kennedy, a professional dancer, choreographer & professor of dance, met Mr. Cunningham & is filled with admiration for his work & has told me that he was a "lovely, lovely man". He seemed to be lovely to me... what a face!