14 Merce Cunningham Quotes for You to Enjoy

Merce Cunningham

American Dancer

Born: Apr 16, 1919

Died: Jul 26, 2009

Always Class Dance Think Time You

Related authors: Alvin Ailey Dita Von Teese JoJo Siwa Katherine Dunham Martha Graham Mikhail Baryshnikov Misty Copeland Twyla Tharp

Movement is expressive. I've never denied that. I don't think there's such a thing as abstract dance. Merce Cunningham

Dance Think Never Abstract Denied Movement Such A Thing Expressive Thing

You do not separate the human being from the actions he does or the actions which surround him, but you see what it is like to break these actions up in different ways, to allow passion - and it is passion - to appear for each person in his own way. Merce Cunningham

You Human Being Passion Own Way Ways See Allow He Like Him Does His Surround Up Person Human Being Different Break Which Separate Actions Appear Each Different Ways

I began to do this thing I do of giving myself a class every day, and trying to experiment and push further. I don't mean to say I knew everything, because I didn't, but I would do what I knew and then push beyond that and see what else I could find. Merce Cunningham

Myself Day Class Every Day Giving Experiment Every Else Everything Say Further Would Find See Could Push Knew Beyond Because Began Trying Mean Then Thing

I don't like teaching, because it's so repetitive - especially the beginning of class, which is always more or less the same and has to be carefully done. It's tedious. But I know it's necessary for dancers to keep working on technique. Merce Cunningham

I think anything can feed you, depending on the way you look at it or listen to it. Merce Cunningham

You Think Way Feed Look Listen Depending Anything

What really made me think about space and begin to think about ways to use it was Einstein's statement that there are no fixed points in space. Everything in the universe is moving all the time. Merce Cunningham

Time Me Space Made Think Universe Everything Statement Ways About Points Begin Fixed Einstein Moving Really Use

My process has changed over the years. I'd say it has been enhanced. Merce Cunningham

Changed Say Has-Been Over Been Years Process Enhanced

I use the computer as a tool. Like chance or the camera or the other tools I've used, it can open my eye to other ways of seeing or of making dances. It's not simply to do a trick. Merce Cunningham

Other Tool Tools Dances Ways Eye Trick Seeing Computer Open Simply Like Making Camera Use Used Chance

Very often, you did something slow with your arm, for example, and something rapid with your feet - but the arm had to do something large against this - and this set up a kind of opposition. Merce Cunningham

You Slow Example Kind Rapid Something Had Arm Feet For Example Opposition Up Very Did Often Against Your Large Set

It is upon the length and breadth and span of a body sustained in muscular action that dance invokes its image. Merce Cunningham

Dance Action Breadth Sustained Span Length Body Image Muscular

Dancing has a continuity of its own that need not be dependent upon either the rise or fall of sound or the pitch and cry of words. Its force of feeling lies in the physical image, fleeting or static. Merce Cunningham

Words Feeling Fall Own Dancing Static Lies Physical Rise Cry Force Sound Continuity Pitch Dependent Either Fleeting Image Need

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