Dance as a physical form of spiritual practice in the works of Merce Cunningham

Abstract

Cunningham’s creative philosophy has been the subject of study by many authors. Original research into Cunningham’s work was carried out by Carrie Noland (“After the Arbitrary”). In this book Carrie Noland brings new insight to this transformative artist’s philosophy and work, providing a fresh perspective on his artistic process while exploring aspects of his choreography. Examining a rich and previously unseen archive that includes photographs, film footage, and unpublished writing by Cunningham, Noland counters prior understandings of Cunningham’s influential embrace of the unintended. Noland considers that Cunningham approached movement as more than “movement in itself,” and that his work enacted archetypal human dramas. The prospect of further study is the determination of stylistic characteristics of M. Cunningham’s staging.