Podcasts about merce cunningham dance company

Jennifer Edwards hosts this episode honoring Gus Solomons jr, the celebrated choreographer, writer, and teacher. As the first Black dancer in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Solomons was both a trailblazer and a trendsetter, forming his own company and making more than 150 works before his death in August 2023 at the age of 84.In this episode: Excerpts from Mondays with Merce: Episode 14 Merce as Model (2010). Director/Producer: Nancy Dalva. (c) Merce Cunningham Trust. All rights reserved.Resources:Mondays with Merce #14: Merce as Model, with Gus Solomons, Jr.Remembering Gus Solomons Jr. 1938 - 2023Gus Solomons Jr., 84, Dies; a Rare Black Presence in Experimental DanceChoreography in Focus: Wendy Perron and Gus Solomons Jr. 

Composer and multi-instrumentalist John King (viola, guitar, electronics) in excerpts and commentary from six appearances at Roulette where his solo, small and large ensemble, and "politically tinged" works have appeared since the mid-1980s. This program features performances by collaborators including vocalist Gelsey Bell, bassist William Parker, violist Joanna Mattrey, Crucible String Quartet, TILT Brass, Cornelius Dufallo's Secret Quartet, The String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and one of his scores for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.https://roulette.org/

Composer and multi-instrumentalist John King (viola, guitar, electronics) in excerpts and commentary from six appearances at Roulette where his solo, small and large ensemble, and "politically tinged" works have appeared since the mid-1980s. This program features performances with collaborators including vocalist Gelsey Bell, bassist William Parker, violist Joanna Mattrey, Crucible String Quartet, TILT Brass, Cornelius Dufallo's Secret Quartet, The String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and one of his scores for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

In this episode, Kimberly and Barbara discuss Barbara's iconic career as a dancer and performer in the 1960s, her work as a founder and President of Naropa University, and her pedagogy which combined dance and performance with mindboby practices and various spiritual traditions. She also discussed the early days of Naropa University which symbolized the creative and expansive, alternative movements that were happening culturally at the time. Barbara then shares her reflections on aging, sickness, and internalized ageism as well as creative ways for aging people to live and embrace the end of life.   Bio Barbara Dilley (Lloyd) (born 1938) is an American dancer, performance artist, improvisor, choreographer and educator, best known for her work as a prominent member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and The Grand Union, from 1969 to 1976. She has taught movement and dance at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, since 1974, developing a pedagogy that emphasizes what she calls “embodied awareness,” an approach that combines dance and movement studies with meditation, “mind training” and improvisational composition. She served as the president of Naropa University from 1985 to 1993.   What She Shares: —Early career as a dancer —Performing as a young mother —First President of Naropa University —Origins of Mind-Body practices in 60s and 70s —Ageism in spiritual and New Age communities —Kindness through sickness, aging, and death   What You'll Hear: —Being the “first” in various fields —First President of Naropa University —Transition from ballet into modern dance —Pregnancy and mothering while performing —Shadow-side of touring the world as a young mother —Modern dancing in India in the 1960s —Strain on family life while  touring —Leaving marriage and family during 60s —Personal drive to pursue performing career —Cultural environment of new thoughts, opportunities, creativity, avant-garde world —Origins of Movement Studies work  —Improvisation performance technique styles emerging —Began teaching at Naropa in 1974 —Created dance program at Naropa and leaving NYC —Teaching alongside Ram Dass and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche —Contemplative Education from East and West at Naropa —Incorporating Mind-Body practices into Dance courses —Spiritual appointment of serving as President at Naropa —Transitioning to retirement from writing and teaching —Feeling emotionally and physically drained leading to health issues —Learning through aging and cultural ageism —Working through cultural imprints around aging —Feeling in competition with younger self —Ageism in spiritual and New Age communities —Kindness through aging which is inevitable —Accepting inevitability of aging and death instead of turning away —”Spiritual materialism” —Becoming invisible as an aging woman —No cultural appreciation for elders —Holistic understanding of human journey including aging and death —Multicultural and multigenerational living instead of nuclear families —Finding small community to discuss sickness, old age, and death —Stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death

Flavia Cerviño-Wood studied classical violin at the Conservatory of Music in Santiago and at the Universidad Católica de Chile. Early in her career she moved to Brazil to join the band Grupo Agua, which toured South America and performed and recorded with Milton Nascimento. Her first work in the United States was with the Brockport Symphony in New York before moving to San Francisco where she was active in the Latin music scene. She is a featured soloist with Sol y Luna along with Rebecca Mauleon and Michael Spiro. She is active in the improvised music scene, having performed with Cecil Taylor and his orchestra at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and a composition by John Cage with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She currently performs with Red Rock Rondo (who won 2 Emmy awards in 2010), blue haiku, the The Emily Merrell Band, Diamond Empire Band, The Phillip Kuehn Orchestra, the Alan Michael band and the Salt Lake Symphony. Flavia holds a BA in Music from San Francisco State University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Utah. Sol y Luna https://open.spotify.com/album/6MWxZlPNP07kgRKgq41dX4 Te Azul at Cathedral of the Madeleine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtULfy5vRdk heat beneath the sand blue haiku https://open.spotify.com/artist/4X4ROGwvfXFvA8j6ZpHO18 Zion Canyon Song Cycle Red Rock Rondo https://open.spotify.com/album/4LKexcpBE8Qr9bjKrKtIH0 A Secret Gift Red Rock Rondo https://open.spotify.com/album/0KhcnT2DkCB4Tl0Zzt1vqa Trio Tri-National Marilyn Lerner, Flavia Cervino-Wood, Harold Carr https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/trio-tri-national-marilyn-lerner-flavia-cervino-wood-harold-carr Nomad J.A. Deane https://open.spotify.com/album/7xX4OfuSfA3RgMgTbsMK3y Strata Te Azul https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/strata Moon River Geoffrey Miller, Flavia Cervino-Wood, Harold Carr https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/moon-river Emily Merrel Group Live at the 2013 Utah Arts Festival https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/emily-merrell-group-live-at-the-2013-utah-arts-festival Harold Carr and Flavia Cervino-Wood live at City Art January 15, 2014 https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/harold-carr-and-flavia-cervino-wood-live-at-city-art-january-15-2014

This episode of JIM ON THE AIR features dancer, choreographer, and actor Victoria Finlayson. Victoria's dance film, "Out There," will be shown during the RE: EMERGE DANCE FESTIVAL presented by Center Stage Theater and the UCSB Initiative for New & Reimagined Work. The festival will be from June 17 through June 20 at Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, CA. Victoria Finlayson is new to video dance on the production/choreography side. She was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1984-1992 where she appeared in video dances by Merce Cunningham and Eliot Caplan, then she worked with the Lit Moon Theater Company from 1992-2020. She is currently working on independent projects and seeing where her movement and theatrical interests lead next. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jim-sirianni/support

Today's guest is Kimberly Bartosik. Choreographer, performer, educator, and essayist, Kimberly creates viscerally provocative, ferociously intimate choreographic projects that are built upon the development of a virtuosic movement language, rigorous conceptual explorations, and the creation of highly theatricalized environments.  A member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for 9 years, Kimberly is a 2020 Bessie Honoree for Outstanding Performance & Outstanding Performer (Burr Johnson) for her recent work, through the mirror of their eyes. She is a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow in Choreography and a 2020 Virginia B. Toulmin Women Leaders in Dance Fellow at Center for Ballet and the Arts (CBA) at NYU. She has an extensive history of touring, commissions, and creative residencies, including as a a 2017-20 New York Live Arts Live Feed Residency Artist; a 2019-20 Harkness Dance Center Artist-in-Residence @ the 92nd St Y; and a 2019 Exploring the Metropolis (EtM) recipient with Composer Sivan Jacobovitz. She currently teaches at SUNY/Purchase Conservatory of Dance and the Merce Cunningham Trust.   For more on this podcast with episode show notes: Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

A native of Mendota Heights, MN, Neil Greenberg studied from the age of 11 with Minnesota Dance Theatre and School, taking class and performing alongside Toni Pierce(-Sands), Robin Stiehm, and Lea Thompson (see photo).  He moved to New York City in 1976, and was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1979-1986.  As a choreographer he is known especially for his Not-About-AIDS-Dance, which employs his signature use of projected words as a layering strategy that provides doors into “meanings” in the dance, while also raising questions about the nature of meaning-making. Among his awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship, two New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards, repeated fellowships from the NEA, a fellowship from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and repeated support from the MAP Fund and NYSCA.  He has created two works for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project. Greenberg is currently Professor of Choreography at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, The New School, and has previously taught at Purchase College, Sarah Lawrence College, and UC Riverside.  He served as dance curator at The Kitchen in NYC from 1995-1999.  His most recent project, To the things themselves! (2018), continues his interest in the move away from representation toward an experience of the performance moment in and of itself.https://vimeo.com/channels/neilgreenbergneilgreenberg.org

In a way, Jesse Stiles has a career I can really envy. Studying with Pauline Oliveros, traveling India while sitting in on music school classes, working with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and teaching at Carnegie Mellon. Huh - sounds pretty great, eh? Combine that with an active performing and recording schedule, work on sound art installations, and you've got a full book! But it's interesting to hear about Jesse's background, and how it really wasn't clear that this was going to be the outcome. A self-described "mediocre" musician, he zeroed in on music technology and mobile recording/performing as his process, spent time working with amazing people, and things ended up falling his way. In our chat, we got a chance to dig into his background, how he approaches performance, and how he's managed everything from no-computer installation setups to LED-helmeted live rigs. A very insightful discussion, and it'll make you want to check out http://jessestil.es/ to learn more about his work. Enjoy! Transcription available here: http://www.darwingrosse.com/AMT/transcript-0326.html

Marc Farre: Singer/Songwriter and Guitarist, The Craft of Songwriting: Where do Songs Come From? The Value of Self-Discipline and Perils of Perfectionism, Being Your Own Benefactor.Our guest this episode is a guitarist/singer-songwriter who is known as an Indie POP-rock musician with an art house French vibe sound, a throaty voice, and darkly poetic lyrics.He grew up in Washington D.C., was raised speaking both French and English at home,   and sings many of his songs in French.After graduating from Georgetown University with a degree in Mathematical Economics he lived in NYC for about 10 years, working as a manager for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and traveling the world, before he left to pursue a career in music. In 2018, he and his wife made their way out to Sebastopol, California, where they currently live, growing their own food, and enjoying the beauty of Sonoma County.This episode has plenty of music throughout, with several clips from songs from our guest’s albums as well as two live performances.We are so pleased to share with you our charming poet-musician, Marc Farre!marcfarre.comflatbedfestival.com

Ashley Chen fait ses études au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris de 1994 à 1999. Après une création avec Thomas Duchâtelet, il s’envole en 2000 vers New-York pour intégrer la Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Il y reste quatre ans, participe à cinq créations et danse une dizaine de pièces du répertoire.Il revient ensuite en France et joint le Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon, où il interprète des pièces des chorégraphes Christian Rizzo, Angelin Preljocaj, William Forsythe, Russel Maliphant, Mathilde Monnier et Trisha Brown.En 2006, il quitte le Ballet pour sillonner l’Europe et les différentes collaborations. Il travaille avec John Scott et Liz Roche à Dublin, Michael Clark à Londres, Jean-Luc Ducourt et Michèle Ann de Mey à Bruxelles, Philippe Decouflé, Boris Charmatz, Mié Coquempot, Fabrice Dugied en France.En 2002, Ashley Chen chorégraphie We’re all grown up now! à New-York. Un an après, il monte avec Marise la Lagrave I’m not a Gurrel!!, vidéo-danse filmée dans l’état de New-York. En 2008, il créé avec le collectif Loge 22 I meant to move à Lyon. En 2012, il fonde la compagnie Kashyl.

Shownotes As an artist, curator, artistic director and frequent keynote speaker internationally, Kristy Edmunds has a reputation for innovation and depth in the presentation of contemporary performing arts. In collaboration with master artists, she has curated unique platforms that survey the breadth of their artistry, while placing equal emphasis on the support and commissioning of new work by some of today’s leading performance creators across disciplines. Edmunds was the Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) and the TBA Festival (Time Based Art) in Portland, Oregon. She was the Artistic Director for the Melbourne International Arts Festival from 2005 to 2008, and was the first to serve an unprecedented four-year term. Upon completion she was appointed as the Head of the School of Performing Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne, and after one year became the Deputy Dean for the College. Concurrently, Edmunds worked as the inaugural Consulting Artistic Director for the now critically heralded Park Avenue Armory in New York (2009–2012). Curating the initial three years of programming, she established the formative identity of the PAA with commissioned work by artists such as Ann Hamilton, the final performance event of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company; Tom Sachs, Janet Cardiff, STREB, Ryoji Ikeda, and the Tune-In Festival with Philip Glass and many others. Edmunds’ robust career has included work as a visual artist, an independent filmmaker, a playwright, a director and a teacher. She holds a bachelor’s in film direction from Montana State University and a master’s in playwriting and theater direction from Western Washington University. In recognition of her contribution to the arts, Edmunds was bestowed with the honor of Chevalier (Knight) de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2016. She is married with two sons, and now calls Los Angeles home. She is the Executive and Artistic Director of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, one of the nation’s leading presenting organizations for contemporary performing artists. Buy tickets to individual performances.Subscribe to the 2019-20 season of CAP performances.Become a CAP donor/member. Kristy writes about covidMore about Kristy Kristy Edmunds website Kristy’s mission – “I love building synergies between people. How do we gather around some form of expressive truth that connects us from being strangers to being part of something, part of a common experience, part of a sense of discovery or being illuminated to one another’s plights? Artists are the bridge between a kind of expressive truth that makes us feel more awake to the world, and we can find camaraderie all over the world with people who have a relationship to that artist or to that project or to that art form. It’s literally a way of knitting together a river of culture throughout the world.” Kristy’s one-line message to the world – “Get it together.” The SUE Speaks Blog Post about Kristy Edmunds Talking points from this episode Childhood in a family of artisans and craftspeople. Their dedication for the love of it. Making arty things in childhood and eventually majored in filmmaker to tell stories. Wanted to understand artists so became producer. Thousands of artists she’s worked with. Bringing their work along. Responsibility to deliver their ideas. What this season for CAP will be: dance, jazz, global music, theater international and local, cultural commentators, many different kinds of artisitic literacies. Gives some specific examples. Challenge of time we’re living in to get audience – people on overwhelm. And things like visas, given this administration – challenge of bringing in international work. But she has an eternal optimism. Doesn’t give up. Great triumph founding the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Work for the institution or the people?

Fine artist and designer, Daniel Arsham, grew up in Miami in the mirror image of the house across the street. After graduating from the Cooper Union, back in Miami he co-founded the artist-run gallery space ‘The House’. An invitation to collaborate with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company led to global adventures in stage design, and in 2007, in order to expand his explorations of spatial manipulation, he formed Snarkitecture, a multidisciplinary design practice with partner Alex Mustonen.  Images and more from our guest! Please say Hi on social! Twitter, Instagram and Facebook - @CleverPodcast, @amydevers, @designmilk We would LOVE for you to fill out our listener survey. Thank you for your input! If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you! Many thanks to this episode’s sponsors: Wacom - The Wacom Cintiq 16 creative pen display and accompanying Pro Pen 2 are the perfect tools to take your creative ideas to the next level. For more information, head to Wacom.com and use promo code CLEVER to get $50 off of the Cintiq 16 May 1-July 31, 2019. Sunski - Sunski’s polarized shades are designed for stylish adventure. Their sunglasses are strong, comfortable and made from recycled plastic, all for a fair price. See Sunski’s Red Dot award-winning shades and save 10% using code CLEVER at Sunski.com/clever. Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer, aka 2VDE Media, with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino. Clever is proudly distributed by Design Milk.

In this episode we hear from Tamsin Carlson. Tamsin was a member of the Repertory Understudy Group otherwise known as RUG for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and was also a faculty member. Tamsin shares her dance lineage and how she came to find the Cunningham technique for herself. Currently, she is the chair of modern dance downtown Los Angeles at The Colburn School. She shares with us the curriculum she helped design at the school and how her experiences in modern around the world influence her teaching today. @DanceWithTeachers @colburn.dance @colburnschool www.dancewithteachers.com

An interview with writer, producer, director and actress Marianne Hettinger. Marianne Hettinger has always been fascinated by movement, absurdity and complexities of human relationships. This was already apparent in her first short film, "Shenanigans Point" in 2001. Budget: $6.95. She sees Woody Allen, Mike Leigh and Pedro Almodovar as her greatest inspirations. German press: Die Welt online, click Wikipedia and German Wikipedia for more info. Having come to New York alone as a teenager from a small town in Germany, she has found her own unique style. "I thrive in adversity. If people say I can't do something, I will use it as fuel to ignite my dream", she said after she won "Best Director" at the Detroit Independent Film Festival 2010 with her first feature "Mango Tango". Born and raised in Augsburg, Germany and then Leitershofen, a suburb with a population of only 2000, Marianne Hettinger saw the movie "An American in Paris" for the first time at age 5. This was the birth of her dream to come to USA to dance and act like Gene Kelly. it would take her 7 hours roundtrip to get to the closest dance studio in Munich by bicycle, tramway, train and subway. But that didn’t stop her. From "American in Paris" to "German in New York", Marianne arrived as a nineteen year old alone in Manhattan with only $800 in her pocket, not knowing anybody. Soon she was accepted by the prestigious National Shakespeare Conservatory on a scholarship to study acting and directing. Simultaneously she studied dance on scholarships at the Alvin Ailey School, Steps on Broadway, the Martha Graham School and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. At age 20 she wrote, directed and acted in her first play "Heaven & Earth" at the Cubiculo Theatre in Manhattan. Because of her femme fatale figure she appeared as a model in "Sports Illustrated", Elle, Men’s Health, Harper’s Bazaar, Self and on national TV. Marianne eventually turned down an exclusive modeling contract with the famous ELITE MODEL MANAGEMENT because of her passion for acting and dancing. The versatile actor has been featured in over 50 features, independent films and television shows and commercials. She’s worked with such acclaimed directors as Tim Robbins, Frank Oz, Michael Apted, James Toback and Warren Leight and was a member of the "A THEATRE CO" theatre company founded by Thomas Everett Scott. As an A-list dancer she’s brought down the house on Broadway in "Latin Rhythms" with Chita Rivera, in a duet with Antonio Banderas on the Late Show with David Letterman and as a solo guest artist with many national and international symphony orchestras and as a US and Canadian Ballroom Champion (American Rhythm and Theatre Arts). Combining her talents, Marianne came full circle in 2009 when she wrote, directed, produced and acted in her first feature film MANGO TANGO that won her "BEST DIRECTOR" at the DETROIT INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL as well as the "JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FEATURE" at the VENTURA FILM FESTIVAL and "MOST POPULAR FILM" at the "FUENF SEEN FILM FESTIVAL" in Germany. Marianne Hettinger makes New York City her home, a place that feeds her creativity. With her projects she entertains and touches people's hearts in her own unique way.

Bio: Maria is a New York-based abstract turntablist and multidisciplinary artist from Peru by way of Houston, Texas. She has pioneered a singular style of improvisation on the turntable involving perfect and destroyed vinyl and styli. She is an author, a teacher, a DJ, and an outspoken critic of the institutions of fine art of which she finds herself, against all odds, a part-- this latter characteristic is amusingly exemplified in her recent work in painting, which she expands upon in this episode. Recording Notes: This interview was recorded at Cafe le Gamin in Maria’s rapidly gentrifying Greenpoint neighbourhood. We met for lunch while Maria was briefly home in New York between stints in Italy, Germany, Istanbul and the Rauschenberg Captiva Residency. The chance, or accident, so fundamental to Maria’s practice turns up here in the shape of the clatter of cutlery, the city’s drony din, and the cafe’s regular custom. I want to warmly welcome Cale Weir back to the pod, who joined me in producing the music for this episode. We worked from Maria’s autodidactic Masters Thesis, Of Technique: Chance Procedures on Turntable. Despite her kindly encouragement of our efforts, Maria may not totally approve of the results, nor of the liberties we took in attempting to execute her techniques (I cannot get away from my little digital modulators, and Cale was working with his antiquated CD-Js) but that we took her instructions in our new direction would seem to be in keeping with the spirit of her work. Truth be told, I just haven’t got the manual dexterity Maria has to grapple with the fragility of the turntable as instrument. Links: Artist: Artist’s Website: www.mariachavez.org Maria’s IG: @chavezsayz Maria’s Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/MariaDChavez Documenta 14: Between a Gunshot and a Whisper: https://www.documenta14.de/en/public-radio/14725/between-a-gunshot-and-a-whisper References: Oneohtrix Point Never’s Software Label: https://softwarelabel.bandcamp.com/ Judd Foundation Wind Instruments documentation: http://mariachavez.org/1913-2/ Every Time A Ear di Soun, a Documenta 14 Radio: https://www.documenta14.de/en/calendar/11085/every-time-a-ear-di-soun-a-documenta-14-radio-program-presentation Gagosian: https://gagosian.com/ Pauline Oliveros: http://paulineoliveros.us/ Phil Niblock: https://phillniblock.com/ University of Texas solo show (String Room): https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2017-04-28/maria-chavez-string-room/ Merce Cunningham Dance Company: https://mercecunningham.org/history/ Dia: Beacon Museum: https://www.diaart.org/ Playing in a gigantic Richard Serra sculpture: https://www.diaart.org/ Jasper Jonhs: https://www.moma.org/artists/2923 Goldsmiths: https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=11082 Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/ Francisco Lopez (get this man an agent!): http://www.franciscolopez.net/

Today's guest is Douglas Dunn. Douglas has been dancing and making dances for fifty years. His lineage includes five years as a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and work with Yvonne Rainer leading to the founding and six-year career of Grand Union.  He formed Douglas Dunn + Dancers in 1978, and continues to work in collaboration with other artists to offer a multifaceted theatrical experience. Douglas has received countless awards and accolades for his work and teaching, and has a collection of published writings entitled "Dancer Out of Sight".

We hope you enjoy Episode 2 with the ever amazing Meg Harper, who danced for both the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Lucinda Childs Dance Company. Stay tuned for our next episode on January 19th! Visit www.dancejournal.org for more info :)

An interview with Karen Eliot, a former dancer with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and now Professor in the Department of Dance at The Ohio State University.  An expert in the areas of ballet, modern, and dance history, she has written two dance history books and co-edited a third with Melanie Bales, and is co-editor of Dance Chronicle: Studies in Dance and the Related Arts.

David Tudor (1926–1996) was an American pianist and composer of experimental music who was a leading interpreter of piano compositions by John Cage and musical director for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Guided by Getty Research Institute (GRI) curator, Nancy Perloff, and deputy director, Andrew Perchuk, we dig into the GRI’s David Tudor archives, a … Continue reading "David Tudor at the Getty Research Institute"

Filmmaker and director Marianne Hettinger has always been fascinated by movement, dance, and the absurdity and complexities in human relationships. She sees Woody Allen, Mike Leigh and Pedro Almodovar as her greatest inspirations. German press: Die Welt online, click German Wikipedia for more info. Having come to New York alone as a teenager from a small town in Germany, she has found her own unique style. "I thrive in adversity. If people say I can't do something, I will use it as fuel to ignite my dream", she said after she won "Best Director" at the Detroit Independent Film Festival 2010 with her first feature. Born and raised in Augsburg, Germany and then Leitershofen, a suburb with a population of only 2000, Marianne Hettinger saw the movie "An American in Paris" for the first time at age 5. This was the birth of her dream to come to USA to dance and act like Gene Kelly. it would take her 7 hours roundtrip to get to the closest dance studio by bicycle, tramway, train and subway. But that didn't stop her. From "American in Paris" to "German in New York", Marianne arrived as a nineteen year old alone in Manhattan with only $800 in her pocket, not knowing anybody. Soon she was accepted by the prestigious National Shakespeare Conservatory on a scholarship to study acting and directing. Simultaneously she studied dance on scholarships at the Alvin Ailey School, Steps on Broadway, the Martha Graham School and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

This show we are talking with Lise Friedman, author of  Break a Leg! The Kids Guide to Acting and Stagecraft andLetters to Juliet, the inspiration behind the idea for the 2010 film Letters to Juliet. Lise has been involved in the arts for many years and is a former dancer with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She will talk more about her book, Break a Leg! The Kids Guide to Acting and Stagecraft as well as the inspiration behind writing her book. 

(January 25, 2008) Stanford dance faculty member Diane Frank moderates a post-performance discussion with Merce Cunningham Dance company members.