Photograph by Rebecca Lasher.
The holiday season brings us more opportunities to celebrate the collaborations of Merce Cunningham and Robert Rauschenberg around the world. Read more about these Upcoming Events below.
We would not have such a strong foundation for reconstructing these works without the longstanding contribution of Patricia Lent (MCDC 1984-1993). Trish will be leaving her positions as Co-Director and Trustee at the end of this year. An invaluable part of Merce’s legacy over the years, as a dancer, teacher, stager, and producer, we thank Trish for her dedication, inventiveness, and energy over the last 17 years.
In her own words:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
In the summer of 2008, I was hired by the Cunningham Dance Foundation as Director of Repertory Licensing. At that time, the Cunningham company was still touring the world, and Merce was still teaching class and choreographing. This new staff position was created in anticipation of a future time when the company would formally close, and the Merce Cunningham Trust would assume stewardship of Merce’s choreography and legacy. It also offered me an unexpected opportunity to reconnect with the company and choreography that had played such an important part in my life as a dancer.
Soon after I was hired, Merce invited me to dinner to discuss my new role. I don’t recall all the details of that conversation, but I vividly remember his response when asked how he felt about other companies dancing his work after MCDC was no longer in operation. “As long as people are interested in doing the work, and as long as people are interested in seeing the work, I’m interested in having it continue,” he said. That simple statement has guided me for the past seventeen years. Read the rest of Patricia's letter