Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham, born in 1919 in Washington State, was a highly respected American choreographer and dancer. Cunningham attended BMC in the early 1950s where he was able to further develop his work in dance, and which led to his creation of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in the summer of 1953 with his partner, John Cage. Through his constantly innovative work both during and after BMC, Cunningham is known for pushing the limits of dance, music, and visual arts. Cunningham’s work has been performed at the American Ballet Theatre, the New York City Ballet, and Ballet of the Paris Opera. He received several awards and recognitions for his work, such as the MacArthur Fellowship and the National Medal of Arts in 1990. Cunningham died in July of 2009.