Мэрс Каннингэм

Merce Cunningham, Elliot Caplan 1993, 30:01 min, color and b&w, sound Eliot Caplan’s 35-mm film adaptation of “Beach Birds,“ a dance work originally choreographed for the stage, begins with Merce Cunningham outlining his approach to dance for the camera, and thus his vision for how movement behaves and how we see it. He explains that the piece is choreography adapted for the camera, which extends the sense of what dance can be. Cunningham emphasizes that stage and camera do not compete. “Beach Birds for Camera“ was filmed in 1991 in two different settings: Kaufman Astoria Studios and Industria Superstudio, both in New York City. One is filmed in black-and-white and the other in color. The piece opens with a close-up of the torsos and outstretched arms of dancers in black-and-white costumes designed by Martha Skinner. The dance is accompanied by “Four3,“ a piece written by John Cage for Cunningham’s 1991 “Beach Birds.“ “Four3,“ based on Erik Satie’s “Vexations,“ was played on two pianos, one in the hall and o