Merce Cunningham wondered what might happen if the roll of a die determined the sequence of movements, rather than a narrative. In collaboration with Charles Atlas, he experimented with cinematography, creating new perspectives for viewing movement.
Beginning in the mid 20th century, choreographer/collaborator/artist/innovator Cunningham (1919-2009) pushed against trends in modern dance in the United States. Whereas his predecessors sought to create performances that married music, dance and design, Cunningham asked what possibilities could be opened if each production element was created without consideration of the others.
It seems highly fitting then that for the celebration of his centennial in 2019 he be honored through the mediums influenced by his creative explorations: dance and film. Written, directed and edited by Alla Kovgan, the film “Cunningham” does just that.
Through a compilation of archival material and re-creations of Cunningham’s works, the biopic chronicles the legendary artist’s choreographic innovations, the development of his dance technique, and collaborations with musician John Cage and artist Robert Rauschenberg among others.
The film, however, offers more than a piece of dance history. Using 3-D technology and continuous shots from a mobile camera, it features visually striking and sensory rich recreations of no less than 25 of his dances. Coupled with video, audio and the writings of Cunningham, Cage, Rauschenberg and original company members, the film delves into the choreographer’s curiosities, concerns and idiosyncrasies.
It pieces together a nuanced picture of a cutting-edge artist, provoking reflection on art, life and legacy.
Throughout the film, Kovgan creates a collage of Cunningham’s artistic process. Rauschenberg’s original costume sketches appear next to Cage’s scores. Cunningham’s instructions for his chance dances scrawl across the screen. The sporadic plinking-grinding-banging sounds of Cage’s compositions accompany the visual amalgamations.
Other scenes juxtapose footage from original performances beside the revival. Archival interviews of Cunningham and his collaborators offer a multitude of perspectives regarding their innovations. What emerges is the evolution of Cunningham’s signature aesthetic: a collage of quick directional changes, bendy spines and slicing extremities.
Though “Cunningham” does not include explicit explorations into the choreographer’s experiments in cinematography, Kovgan builds upon Cunningham’s innovations in camerawork.
During re-creations of his choreography the camera weaves through the dancers, hovering above to reveal spatial patterns, zooming-in to highlight entangled limbs. The camera’s motion yields a multifocal experience of movement, a technique originated by Cunningham and Atlas.
Kovgan adds the use of 3-D technology, realizing Cunningham’s goal of capturing the three-dimensionality of dance in the two-dimensional medium of film.
“Summerspace,” a Cunningham work highlighted in the film, features a bowl-like polka-dotted backdrop and dancers wearing unitards of the same fabric. The camouflage produces a space-bending effect. It highlights Cunningham’s fascination with Einstein’s theory that there are “no fixed points in space,” which resulted in dances that could be viewed from any angle. In one scene, the artist explains he does not want to impose a perspective of his dances on audiences.
Kovgan echoes this approach in “Cunningham.” She offers thought-provoking snippets from the life and career of the dance artist, but ultimately leaves it up to individual viewers to form their impression on the legacy of the multifaceted dance maker.
Carlee Sachs-Krook is a MA candidate in the American Dance Studies program at Florida State University, where she studies the intersection of gender studies and dance history; her work has appeared in Dance Informa Magazine and SoDança’s Blog.
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If you go
What: “Cunningham” presented by the Tallahassee Film Society
When: 6 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday, and 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: All Saints Cinema, 918-½ Railroad Ave.
Cost: $10, $7 for TFS members and students
Visit: https://ift.tt/1fZCNcL
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'Cunningham' offers multi-dimensional homage to dance innovator | Film Review - Tallahassee Democrat
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