MERCE 100: Seattle Artists Respond to Merce
“It is not unusual these days to hear Merce Cunningham called the world’s greatest living choreographer. I go further: I have long thought that he is the greatest living artist since the death of Samuel Beckett, almost 20 years ago.” – Alastair Macauley, The New York Times
Velocity concludes 2018 with Merce 100: Seattle Artists Respond to Merce a week-long celebration of Merce Cunningham, a Washington native and one of the world’s most significant postmodern artists. Curated by Velocity Artistic Executive Director Tonya Lockyer and presented as part of the international year-long Cunningham Centennial, Merce 100 will feature a workshop, cocktail mixers, screenings, culminating in a weekend of nine Seattle artists from different generations performing, recalling, re-enacting, reading, teaching and transmitting the work and ideas of Cunningham – arguably the most important choreographer of the 20th century.
Photo – Merce Cunningham in Solo. Photo by Jack Mitchell 1973.
MERCE 100 MINI-CALENDAR
MOVIE NIGHT: VARIATIONS 5
DEC 13 / 4-6PM
Love City Love 1406 E Pike Street
FREE!
MORE INFO>>
As part of Capitol Hill Art Walk, Velocity will be screening excerpts of Merce Cunningham’s Variations 5, a daring and ground-breaking multimedia piece that weaves together improvisational dance, sound, and film. Variations 5 is one of Cunningham’s most well-known projects that engaged chance and interdisciplinary collaborations in unprecedented ways. This screening will feature
COMPOSER + CHOREOGRAPHER COCKTAIL MIXER
DEC 14 / 6:30-7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE!
Arrive early for our Merce 100 performances and get a drink for our interdisciplinary mix n’ mingle with Seattle’s choreographers and composers. If you’re looking for opportunities for collaboration and experimentation, this is the place to meet your future colleagues!
MERCE 100: SEATTLE ARTISTS RESPOND TO MERCE
DEC 14-16 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron
This once-in-a-lifetime performance series will run nightly at 7:30PM at Velocity as part of Merce 100. All three nights will feature performances created by: DONALD BYRD / KATE WALLICH / THOMAS HOUSE w/ KAYLA CASHETTA / CHRISTIANA AXELSEN / MAYA SONENBERG / AMY J. LAMBERT / DUSTIN + ELLA MAHLER / DANIEL ROBERTS + DR. VICTORIA WATTS / LOUIS GERVAIS with MOLLY SIDES.
SILAS RIENER WORKSHOP: MERCE CUNNINGHAM CHANCE PROCEDURES
*OPEN TO ALL*
DEC 15 / 2-5PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$15 at the door / $12 Friend-MVP Member
An interdisciplinary workshop for non-dancers and dancers alike providing a first-hand experience of some of Cunningham’s pioneering approaches to art making and performance, taught by Cunningham Company Member Silas Riener.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHAMPAGNE TOAST + PLAQUE UNVEILING
DEC 15 / 6:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE!
Come raise a glass to Velocity’s supreme dance champion leadership as we unveil a plaque in their honor. The plaque and toast will honor Founding Artistic Directors KT Niehoff + Michele Miller, Executive Director Kara O’Toole, and outgoing Artistic Executive Director Tonya Lockyer. Velocity prides itself on its history of being a queer, female-run organization in Seattle. We want to take time to open our doors (and our bar) to our communities to celebrate the radical and daring leadership that has made Velocity and Seattle dance what it is today.
ABOUT MERCE CUNNINGHAM + THE CENTENNIAL
Merce Cunningham was born in Centralia, WA in 1918 and studied at Cornish College of the Arts right here in Seattle, where he met a young accompanist named John Cage in his dance class with Bonnie Bird. Cunningham went on to become one of the most important choreographers of the 20th century, breaking down social and formal barriers not only in dance but across the arts at large.
To mark what would be Cunningham’s 100th birthday, the Merce Cunningham Trust has enlisted artists and companies from around the world to engage with the work and legacy Cunningham left behind.This year-long celebration looks at the many sides of Merce Cunningham: as a dancer, dance-maker, innovator, teacher, writer, collaborator. The Centennial will showcase works spanning Cunningham’s more than seven-decade career, along with works by practicing artists that speak directly to his legacy. During the celebration, more than 25 of his dances will be performed by over 30 companies, many of his films will be screened, and students will have the opportunity to engage with his technique, work, and processes.
The Seattle partners of the Cunningham Centennial are Velocity Dance Center, Spectrum Dance Theater, Cornish College of the Arts Dance, and the Dance Department of the University of Washington; and organized events in the cities of New York, L.A., Bogotá, Barcelona, Lyon, Mexico City, Miami, London, Paris, and New Plymouth, New Zealand.
INSIGHTS
READ HERE>> for more information about the Centennial
READ HERE>> for some insights on Cunningham’s work and ideas
READ HERE>> for the NYTimes obituary of Merce Cunningham
READ HERE>> for a NYTimes review of teacher, artist, + innovator Silas Riener
This program is part of the Merce Cunningham Centennial.
Centennial Community Porgrams are generously supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Major funding for the Centennial is provided by the Merce Cunningham Trust, the Paul L. Wattis Foundation, American Express and Judith Pisar.
