Merce Cunningham

(April 16, 1919 - July 26, 2009)

Pioneering modern dancer and choreographer who was born April 16, 1919 in Centralia, Washington. He met John Cage at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle during the 1930s, who became his life partner and frequent collaborator until Cage's death in 1992. John Cage was the original musical director for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and was later succeeded by David Tudor and Takehisa Kosugi. In the last four decades and some, Cunningham has also commissioned and used music by Christian Wolff, Toshi Ichiyanagi, David Behrman, Gordon Mumma, Maryanne Amacher, Larry Austin, Stuart Dempster, Brian Eno, Gavin Bryars, Trimpin, and many others.