Pond way

Description

"Ponds are a way of life: bogs, water lilies, a haven for birds, myriad layers of different activities," Cunningham said. One of Cunningham's "nature studies," Pond Way is a lyrical, contemplative, often sensuous piece evoking the motions of water, at times reminiscent of the game of skipping stones over the surface of a pond, which Cunningham had loved to play as a child. Primarily a full-company dance, the performers move in large, complex formations across the stage with movements beginning and ending at random, evoking the image of sunlight shimmering across the water's surface. Brian Eno created New Ikebukkuro (For 3 CD Players), an immersive generative composition, for the dance. The score consists of ten unique tracks randomly played within and across each performance, with the soundscape distributed through a six-channel surround sound array. Suzanne Gallo designed the costumes--loose fitting white tops and pants. The décor was a patterned backcloth, reminiscent of bubbles of water, based on Roy Lichtenstein's painting Landscape with Boat. Filmmaker and longtime Cunningham collaborator Charles Atlas filmed the dance in 2000 at La Filature Scène Nationale, Mulhouse, France.

Runtime

24 minutes

Genre

Database

Alexander Street

Direct Link