Crises

Description

First performed at the 13th American Dance Festival in the summer of 1960, Crises was described by Cunningham as "an adventure in togetherness." Choreographed for four women and one man, the dance focused on physical contact between the dancers. The physical entanglements came both through holding each other and being held, and through elastic bands, worn around a wrist, an arm, a waist or a leg, which connected the dancers in various positions. Cage noted, "This is a dramatic, though not a narrative, dance concerned with decisive moments in the relationship between a man and four women." Conlon Nancarrow's musical score reinforced the dance's harsh atmosphere with an assortment of jangling rhythms, and Rauschenberg's costumes were leotards in various shades of red, evoking the romance of the piece. This film, shot during rehearsal at the 1961 American Dance Festival at Connecticut College, has historically been the definitive reference for the dance Crises, and is the only motion picture of Cunningham performing the dance with the original cast. The newly restored Crises was digitized from the original black and white 16mm reversal print held in the American Dance Festival Archives, and coupled with an audio restoration of the original recording of Nancarrow's Rhythm Studies for Player Piano.

Runtime

23 minutes

Genre

Database

Alexander Street

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