Dance

April 16 marks the 90th birthday of Merce Cunningham-one of the most important choreographers of our time-whose radical approaches to space, time, and technology continue to redefine the way we experience dance. Over the course of his celebrated career, he has forged a distinctive language of movement, illuminating the body's inherent drama and limitless capacity for change. And as a longtime collaborator of John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, he has played a leading role in fostering innovation across art forms. 

In celebration of his birthday, Merce Cunningham Dance Company returns to BAM with the world premiere of a dazzling evening-length work created in collaboration with and performed live by Led Zeppelin's legendary multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones, mixed-media sound composer Takehisa Kosugi, and seminal indie rock band Sonic Youth. With an intriguing multi-tiered décor by world-renowned architect Benedetta Tagliabue, lighting by Tony and Obie-winning designer Brian MacDevitt, video design by Franc Aleu, and costumes by Romeo Gigli, this new masterpiece is testament to the boundless imagination of a man who, on the cusp of his tenth decade, still keeps us on our toes.