Dance Projects

 

 

 

BEACH BIRDS FOR CAMERA (1993)
28 minutes, b&w/color/35mm
Choreography: Merce Cunningham
Music: John Cage, "Four 3"
Costumes: Marsha Skinner
Producer: Cunningham Dance Foundation
Co-Producer: Timothy Nelson
Director: Elliot Caplan

Dancers: Helen Barrow, Kimberly Bartosik, Michael Cole, Emma Diamond,
Victoria Finlayson, Frédéric Gafner, Alan Good, David Kulick, Patricia Lent,
Larissa McGoldrick, Randall Sanderson, Robert Swinston, Carol Teitelbaum, Jenifer Weaver

Beach Birds For Camera, a 35mm widescreen film was first shown at L'Opera de Paris Garnier

WINNER

* 1994 GRAND PRIX INTERNATIONAL VIDÉO DANSE CARINA ARI STOCKHOLM

* 1994 ACADÉMIE DES BEAUX-ARTS/STUDIO ADAPTATION STOCKHOLM

* 1993 GRAND PRIZE IMZ DANCE SCREEN FESTIVAL FRANKFURT

* 1993 "BEST OF SHOW" AWARD DANCE ON CAMERA FESTIVAL NEW YORK

Beach Birds For Camera is a 35mm wide-screen film adaptation of a dance work originally
made for the stage, featuring Merce Cunningham Dance Company. The film
combines different shooting locations, black and white and color film,
and dolby stereo sound to present dance through the visual medium of film.

When it was first suggested to John Cage that he should create a
work in collaboration with Merce Cunningham for the 1991 James Joyce/John Cage
Festival in Zurich, Cage had the idea to write a large-scale piece to be called
"Ocean," which refers to the fact that James Joyce's projected next book
after "Finnegans Wake" was to be called "Ocean." No suitable space was
available for such a project so it was decided that instead, they would make
a new dance for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's repertory. Cunningham
had always intended to call his part of the work "Beach Birds," and he kept the title.

 

 

 

 

CHANGING STEPS (1989)
Choreography by Merce Cunningham
Music by John Cage, "Cartridge Music" (1960)
Narration Intro by Robert Redford
Design by Elliot Caplan
Costumes by Mark Lancaster, Suzanne Gallo
Produced by Cunningham Dance Foundation and La SEPT, France
Directed by Elliot Caplan and Merce Cunningham

Dancers: Helen Barrow, Kimberly Bartosik, Emma Diamond,
Victoria Finlayson, Alan Good, Chris Komar, David Kulick,
Patricia Lent, Larissa McGoldrick, Dennis O'Connor, Kristy Santimyer,
Robert Swinston, Carol Teitelbaum, Robert Wood

Merce Cunningham choreographed Changing Steps in 1973 and it was first included in a
performance given at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York. In its original form it
consisted of a solo dance for each member of the company, 5 duets, 3 trios, 2 quartets,
and 2 quintets, which could be performed in any order, and separately or overlapping if space allowed.

Changing Steps, filmed at the Sundance Institute with an introduction by Robert Redford,
was produced in association with La Sept and distributed by éditions a voir.