Dancing with Merce Cunningham

Dancing with Merce Cunningham is a buoyant, captivating memoir of a talented dancer's lifelong friendship with one of the choreographic geniuses of our time. Marianne Preger-Simon's story opens amid the explosion of artistic creativity that followed World War II. While immersed in the vibrant arts scene of postwar Paris during a college year abroad, Preger-Simon was so struck by Merce Cunningham's unconventional dance style that she joined his classes in New York. She soon became an important member of his brand new dance troupe--and a constant friend. Through her experiences in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Preger-Simon offers a rare account of exactly how Cunningham taught and interacted with his students. She describes the puzzled reactions of audiences to the novel non-narrative choreography of the company's debut performances. She touches on Cunningham's quicksilver temperament--lamenting his early frustrations with obscurity and the discomfort she suspects he endured in concealing his homosexuality and partnership with composer John Cage--yet she celebrates above all his dependable charm, kindness, and engagement. She also portrays the comradery among the company's dancers, designers, and musicians, many of whom--including Cage, David Tudor, and Carolyn Brown--would become integral to the avant-garde arts movement, as she tells tales of their adventures touring in a VW Microbus across the United States. Finally, reflecting on her connection with Cunningham throughout the latter part of his career, Preger-Simon recalls warm moments that nurtured their enduring bond after she left the dance company and, later, New York. Interspersed with her letters to friends and family, journal entries, and correspondence from Cunningham himself, Preger-Simon's memoir is an intimate look at one of the most influential companies in modern American dance and the brilliance of its visionary leader.

About the Author :
Marianne Preger-Simon (1929-2024) danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in its founding years, from 1950 until 1958. She remained friends with Merce Cunningham until his death in 2009.

Review :
"Many dancers find that they understand better in retrospect what they had been part of. Few write with Preger-Simon's blend of sensitivity and generosity."--from the afterword by Alastair Macaulay, chief dance critic, New York Times "[Preger-Simon's] gossamer light memoir is about a season of calm weather, unbuffeted by worldly success. . . . She often reprints letters she wrote to friends or family--so the book can sometimes have the tenor of a cheery postcard even as she is taking part in historic events."--New York Times Book Review "In clear snapshots [the author] fashions a collage of life in the 1950s New York art scene, written with sincere, heartfelt admiration for Cunningham and the once little-known company's journey to critical renown. . . . Preger has crafted a compelling personal narrative that may hopefully lead further discussions on Cunningham--an artist who keeps us, like Preger, continually returning to his work."--Hyperallergic "What Dancing with Merce Cunningham gives us is the generous and loving presence of its author, who understood the value of the work she was doing and the people who did it with her."--Art Fuse "Fun, easy to read, beautifully written, and very informative. With humor, passion, insight, and clarity [Preger-Simon] shares many facets of Cunningham--his work, teaching, and influence on several generations of artists."--Journal of Dance Education "An important addition to the body of writings on Cunningham, one of the most important modern choreographers and creative forces of the American avant-garde. . . . Simply a pleasure to read."--Los Angeles Review of Books "[An] affecting new memoir."--New York Review of Books