Beginning March 28, Tuesday and Thursday classes are at Joyce East.

About the Trust

About Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham in Changeling. Photo by Matthew Wysocki 1957

Our mission is to carry Merce Cunningham's legacy into the future.

Engage

We are committed to engaging with every community through creating and sustaining an environment of belonging and inclusion.
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Preserve

We preserve the recorded and physical works of Merce Cunningham and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

Maintain

We offer classes and workshops in Cunningham's technique, repertory, and choreographic methods to dancers and the public, keeping interest and practice alive.

Share

Through licensing and supporting research, we continue to share Merce Cunningham's work.
Meet the Team
Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham

Cunningham continually pushed the boundaries of modern dance during his seventy-year career.
Download His Bio

Our History

Merce Cunningham. Photo by Mark Seliger 2002

Created by Cunningham

Cunningham first introduced the idea of a Trust to manage his legacy during a 1991 Cunningham Foundation board retreat.
Merce Cunningham Dance Company in Trackers. Photo by Johan Elbers 1991

Established in 2000

In 2000, Cunningham created the non-profit Merce Cunningham Trust to hold and administer the rights to his works after his death.
Mikhail Baryshnikov and Merce Cunningham in Occasion Piece. Photo by Robert Whitman 1999

An Unprecedented Plan

Created in 2008, the Legacy Plan provided a detailed transition plan for the critical period following Cunningham's death.
Download the Legacy Plan
Merce Cunningham Dance Company in Event.

Upholding Merce’s Wishes

Cunningham wanted a framework to actively share his legacy and offer it to future generations. Today, the Trust is the embodiment of this desire.
Explore the History

Our Work

Cunningham Technique Class. Photo by Janelle Jones 2016

Classes & Workshops

We offer classes and workshops in Cunningham's technique, repertory, and choreographic methods.
Learn More - Classes
Learn More - Workshops
Patricia Lent with workshop dancers in Exchange workshop. Photo by Janelle Jones 2017

Fellowship Programs

We offer former company members the opportunity to research, investigate, and reconstruct Cunningham dances.
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Ballett am Rhein in Scenario. Photo by Gert Weigelt 2014

Licensing Dances

We work with licensees to bring the choreographic work to the public.
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Merce Cunningham Dance Company in Travelogue. Photo by Jack Vartoogian 1977

Archival Efforts & Research

We work with our partners, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Walker Art Center.
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