Cunningham Solos & Favour Odusola

On the evening following their performance at the Musée de l'Orangerie, John Scott Dance and Kashyl-Ashley Chen dance companies present the famous ‘Cunningham Solos’ in the intimate setting of the CCI chapel.

Virtuoso American dancer Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) discovered the intensity, passion and dramatic expressiveness of Modern dance when he joined Martha Graham's pioneering company in 1939. He broke away four years later and set up the Merce Cunningham Dance Company to explore his own ideas. While remaining just as physically and technically exacting, he developed the art of dance beyond psychological or narrative considerations to investigate movement for its own sake. By redefining the notions of space and time, Cunningham’s radically experimental choreographies earned him the title of "Father of Contemporary Dance". Those who trained with him before going on to found their own dance companies include Paul Taylor, Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Karole Armitage... and notably John Scott and Ashley Chen, with whom the CCI is delighted to collaborate for this special evening of 'Cunningham Solos’.

Choreographies by Merce Cunningham, with kind permission from the Merce Cunningham Trust:
_ Four Solos / John Scott Dance Company
Four solos from the following pieces:
50 Looks (1989) - performer: Magdalena Hylak; Changeling (1957) - performer: François Malbranque; Solo (1975) - performer: Boris Charrion; RainForest (1968) - performer: François Malbranque; Arrangement by Patricia Lent.

_ Solos Suite / Kashyl-Ashley Chen Dance Company
Three solos: Second Hand (1970); Loose Time (2002); Changing Steps (1973) - performer: Ashley Chen

Following the Cunningham Solos, and to conclude the evening, our artist in residence Favour Odusola presents an excerpt from his work-in-progress RR: Rooted and Rising, combining dance, theatre, song and interaction with the audience!

Find out more about the evening at the Musée de l’Orangerie on Monday 19 January: Danse dans les Nymphéas