A dancer in a light blue costume performing a powerful mid-air split leap on stage. The background is dark, highlighting the dancer's form and movement. The lighting emphasizes the strength and grace of the leap, creating a striking visual contrast.

Repertory

Cunningham Centennial Solos

CHOREOGRAPHER

COMPANY PREMIERE

New York City Center, 2019

WORLD PREMIERE

Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2019

STAGING

Jean Freebury

MUSIC

John King

COSTUMES

Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung

RUN TIME

12 Minutes

For the first time ever, the Ailey dancers performed the work of modern dance giant Merce Cunningham. These solos were first performed as part of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event, which was presented at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on the 100th anniversary of Merce Cunningham’s birth—April 16, 2019. Simultaneous events took place in Los Angeles and London, with each performance bringing together 25 dancers who were not members of Cunningham’s company. These particular solos, highlighting Cunningham’s genius for radical reinventions of movement, came from work spanning five decades: Scramble (1967), Loops (1971), Landrover (1972), Change of Address (1992), Scenario (1997), Way Station (2001), and Nearly Ninety (2009). The solos were arranged into a continuous sequence by Merce Cunningham Trust stager Jean Freebury. 

Funders

This performance of Cunningham Centennial Solos was made possible with support from The Jaharis Family Foundation, Inc.