Photo by Ella Bromlin
For the Second Avenue Dance Company October Concert (SADC MiniEvent), Associate Arts Professor Rashaun Mitchell set material from Merce Cunningham's Pictures (1984), Change of Address (1992), Groundlevel Overlay (1995), and Pond Way (1998).
“One of the things about staging the work is that it’s quite challenging to learn, (but) once you have it, once you actually have it learned, then you can really dance it. But the process of actually integrating all of the material and the coordinates into your body, that takes a really long time. Some people are quicker at that and some people are slower. Part of my job is taking that into consideration while casting, like this person might not have this particular thing yet but they will get it, or I can figure out how to get them there. But I feel that the Cunningham cast is willing to go through that process, more than other dancers that I have worked with. They are excited about the challenge of it, not getting frustrated at the complexity, but really finding delight in the kind of crazy, zady, over the top, ridiculous process of learning these steps that really don’t make sense. In a lot of the movement, there isn’t a kinesthetic logic to it. So completion comes from some other source of will power or something, it's not necessarily logical. So just feeling this cast’s interest and willingness to go through that process is brave, and that’s what it really takes.” -Rashaun Mitchell | Merce Cunningham Trust
SADC MinEvent
Choreography: Merce Cunningham
Music: original score composed and performed by Jonathan Matthews
Costume Design: Corina Chase
Lighting Design: Bailey Costa
Arranged and staged by Rashaun Mitchell
Choreography by Merce Cunningham © Merce Cunningham Trust.
All rights reserved.
Performers: Monika Brinkmann, Cayleen Del Rosario, Kristen Foote,
Safiya Haque, Dean Husted, Maia Kaimakliotis, Matthew Krull,
Julio L. Laforteza, Erin Maher, Jade Manns, Iliana Penichet-Ramirez,
Alisya Razman Adam, Marlaina Riegelsberger, Nikkie Samreth,
Isaac Spector, Kaitlin Tang
Program Note:
This MinEvent includes material from: Pictures (1984), Change of Address (1992), Groundlevel Overlay (1995), and Pond Way (1998).