Merce Cunningham's Obituary

On Tuesday, The New York Times published a great obituary of Merce Cunningham, signed by Alistair Macaulay. There is a large picture of the famous dancer and choreographer, jumping, in a very Spiderman-like posture. This was in the 1950s: Cunningham "was known for his phenomenal jump, which was as remarkable as his animal-like qualities of grace and intensity." Below, a recent portrait shows his aged face and arthritic hands: "A creature of New York: Mr. Cunningham, in 2009." "He accepted an offer from Graham, and that September [1939] moved to New York. Stepping onto a New York sidewalk for the first time, he looked at the skyline and, as he often recalled, said: 'This is home.'" About that time, Cunningham and the composer John Cage, who was married, met and started working together: "Cage and Mr. Cunningham also became lovers, and the ensuing breakup of the Cages' marriage was painful. For many years only a few people realized that the Cage-Cunningham relationship was sexual. Although their offstage partnership became an open secret, the subject was not open until 1989, when Cage, answering an unexpected public question about it, surprised everyone by replying, 'I do the cooking, and Merce does the dishes.'" They lived together until Cage's death in 1992.

Comments

[Term Papers]

A great article indeed and a very detailed, realistic and superb analysis, of these books, very nice write up, Thanks.