“Ballet was my first language; it was my first love,” recalls Butler University dance professor Susan McGuire. But after being moved by a performance of Diversion of Angels by the Martha Graham Dance Company, McGuire pivoted to a career in modern dance, eventually joining the esteemed institution as a soloist in 1973. She went on to […]
“Merce Cunningham: Common Time,” an eight-gallery collection of stage sets, costumes, music, film and a series of live performances at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, continues through July 30. The exhibition highlights the prolific postmodern choreographer’s many collaborations with artists such as John Cage, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Morris. Robert Rauschenberg’s Trophy […]
How I teach Cunningham technique The young students at the Complexions Contemporary Ballet summer intensive exchange uncomfortable glances when Banu Ogan walks into what, for most, is their first-ever class in Cunningham technique. “Please take off your ballet shoes,” she says, after eyeing their feet. As the group—a mix of comp kids and bunheads—begins pliés […]