MDT Students, Maddie Burgoon, Joe Kuchey and Scott Neal were selected as dancers for Up and Coming Country Singing Sensation, Jessica Kenney. The three danced with Jessica at the Flag City Music Festival in Findlay, OH. The act opened for Award Winning Artists Julianne Hough (Dancing with the Stars), John Michael Montgomery and Billy Ray Cyrus (Hannah Montana).

NEW YORK - Merce Cunningham, the avant-garde dancer and choreographer who revolutionized modern dance by creating works of pure movement divorced from storytelling and even from their musical accompaniment, has died at age 90, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Cunningham died on Sunday at his Manhattan home of natural causes, said Leah Sandals, spokeswoman for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Sandals would not specify the exact cause of death.

“Merce saw beauty in the ordinary, which is what made him extraordinary,” said Trevor Carlson, executive director of the Cunningham Dance Foundation. “He did not allow convention to lead him, but was a true artist, honest and forthcoming in everything he did.”

In a career that spanned more than 60 years and some 150 works, Cunningham wiped out storytelling in dance, tossed coins or dice to determine steps, and shattered such unwritten rules as having dancers usually face the audience.

The New York Times wrote in 1982, “As playful as he has often seemed, Cunningham has always been one of America’s most serious artists … one of the few true revolutionaries in the history of dance.”

He worked closely with composer John Cage, his longtime partner who died in 1992, and with visual artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. But, he said, “I am and always have been fascinated by dancing, and I can just as well do a dance without the visual thing.”

Unlike his onetime mentor, Martha Graham, he did not intend his dances to express emotion or act out a drama.

Other choreographers have made plotless dances but Cunningham did his even without music. The audience got both dance and music, but the steps weren’t done to the music’s beat, and sometimes the dancers were hearing the music for the first time on stage.

“I’d rather find out something than repeat what I know,” he once said. “I prefer adventure to something that’s fixed.”

Cunningham also used chance — tossing pennies or whatever — to determine such things as which of several sets of steps would follow another series of steps. Once the toss determined the steps, however, the dancers had to follow them precisely.

“In coming to a new piece, I still try to find ways to use chance,” he said. “It is to try to open my eyes to something I don’t know about rather than me simply repeating something that I already have dealt with.”

He called chance “a present mode of freeing my imagination from its own cliches.”

Active artist at 90
Though he had to use a wheelchair in later years, he remained an active artist. As he turned 90 in April 2009, he premiered a long piece called “Nearly Ninety,” set to new music from Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, the rock band Sonic Youth, and Japanese composer Takehisa Kosugi.

He also set up a new organization, the Merce Cunningham Trust, to maintain his legacy into the future. Under the plan, his dance company would have a final, two-year tour and then shut down. Its assets would be transferred to the trust, which would hold licensing rights and preserve Cunningham’s choreography in digital form for future artists, students, scholars and audiences.

“My idea has always been to explore human physical movement,” Cunningham said in June 2009. “I would like the Trust to continue doing this, because dancing is a process that never stops, and should not stop if it is to stay alive and fresh.”

Among the honors that came his way over a long career were the Kennedy Center Honors, 1985, and the National Medal of Arts, 1990.

“I think the things in my earlier work that were shocking, like shifting abruptly, no longer are shocking,” he once said.

Said The New York Times: “Cunningham has altered the audience’s very perception of what constitutes a dance performance and explored previously inconceivable methods of putting movement together.”

Such works, combined with far-out music, could be tough sledding for audiences used to more traditional dances.

A critic for Britain’s Financial Times, after watching the premiere of Cunningham’s “Ocean” in Brussels in 1994, wrote: “How slowly time passes when the avant-garde is having fun.” But Time magazine said, “The public and dance critics alike were seduced by ’Ocean’s’ magical marine universe.”

The 90-minute work featured 15 dancers performing on a round stage, with the audience seated around them. Cunningham used a computer to keep track of how the work would look from many different angles.

“I told the dancers, ‘You have to put yourself on a merry-go-round and keep turning round and round because no single moment is fixed in any particular direction,”’ he said.

The lead in video, computers
Cunningham took the lead among choreographers in using the computer, just as he was one of the first to use video in the often conservative dance world.

The computer-animated figure is not bound by the laws of human dexterity.

“I don’t think it is going to revolutionize anything about dancing,” he said, “but it can enlarge what you see” by fixing something in midmovement.

Among his other creations — more than 150 in all: “Sounddance,” 1975; “RainForest,” 1968; “Septet,” 1953; “Exchange,” 1978; “Trackers,” 1991; “Pictures,” 1984; “Fabrications,” 1987; “Cargo X,” 1989; and “Biped,” 1999.

His dances may have been nontraditional, but the intricate choreography wasn’t easy to do, and his dancers were all highly trained. Cunningham himself continued to dance with his company well into his 70s.

He said there is always something new to do in choreography, “if your eyes and ears are open and you have wit enough to see and hear and imagine.”

“Over the history of art, something unfamiliar becomes part of society and everybody accepts it. Obviously, the artist goes on. You try to see what the next problem or question to ask is.

“That’s what an artist does; you find another question.”

In 2003, Cunningham’s company wound up its 50th anniversary season with the world premiere of “Split Sides” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In classic Cunningham fashion, the order of the music and other elements of the performance was determined by rolling the dice.

The acclaimed choreographer Paul Taylor made his dance debut with Cunningham’s company in the 1950s before becoming a star with Martha Graham and founding his own troupe.

Wanted to be an actor
Merce (pronounced Murss) Cunningham was born in Centralia, Wash., the son of a lawyer. He studied tap and ballroom dancing as a child, then attended the Cornish School, an arts school, in Seattle after high school. In a 1999 Public Broadcasting Service interview, he recalled that he wanted to be an actor and took dance just to help him act better.

He recalled that the school director “said when she was making out my schedule, she said, ‘Well, of course, you will do the modern dance.’ And I didn’t know one from the other. So I said, ‘All right.’ … It’s chance. And in the end, I think for me it was very good chance.”

He met Cage in 1938, and the composer became his longtime companion as well as frequent collaborator.

The following year, he met Graham at a summer dance session at Mills College. She invited him to join her company, and created many leading roles for him. He left the company in 1945 to begin his turn from psychological dances toward “pure movement.”

The foundation did not provide information Monday on Cunningham’s survivors and funeral arrangements were incomplete. The foundation said it was receiving visitors at the Manhattan studio all day on Monday.

From the July 2009 issue of Dance Teacher Magazine featuring Jeffrey Pitzer.

Just after your studio’s end-of-the-year recital, do you plan to do nothing but relax until next season? Well, think again! Now’s the time to really plan for the fall. Use the summer months to get organized, brainstorm new ideas and improve on last year’s methods—it’s your chance to gear up for a great next season. Read on for tips on how to get cracking.

Develop a school calendar.
Ask any dance teacher, and she’ll tell you: Preparing for the busy fall season is a monumental task. A detailed calendar is essential to help everybody stay organized and successful in the coming year, advises MaryAnna Gooch, owner of Dance Connection Too in Gilbert, Arizona. “In July, we hand our students and their families a detailed calendar for the entire next year, so they know which holidays we have off, which competitions we’re going to and the recital dates. This way they know and can plan vacations accordingly,” she says.

Set staffing schedules.
Another smart way to get ahead is to hold a staff meeting to set schedules and lay the ground rules for the upcoming season. Jeff Pitzer, co-owner of Miracle Dance Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, knows that his 16 staff members all have other full-time jobs, so he likes to work out the dates early on. “We meet and I read everyone the agenda for the year. I let them know the important dates, like when they need to have all costumes selected by, what date their holiday-show music needs to be in by, etc., so that everyone is aware.”

Pitzer advises making schedules online. He uses Google Calendars and Google Docs—spreadsheets of things like recital plans, rehearsal schedules that only his teachers can access and update on their own, from home. “We all have e-mail accounts and can all share the same files,” he says. “It makes updating and keeping track of things much easier.”

Conducting a staff meeting is also a nice way to bond as a group and make everyone feel more like a team. So consider making yours special by holding it as a picnic in the last days of summer or providing fun refreshments. Using this time to give a good old-fashioned pep talk or motivating discussion will really boost your spirits—and your staff’s—before the long months ahead.

Clean house and make repairs.
The summer is an essential time to give the studio a good, deep cleaning. Use the days when the studio is quiet to look around your facility and see what needs repairing or better organization. “Every summer, we strip the wood floors and refinish them, and we also fix whatever’s broken and bring in painters for touch-ups,” says Pitzer. He does a lot of the work himself, but fathers of students also help out. Next year, post a notice at recital time asking for help around your studio. Chances are, some dads will be willing to lend a hand.

Revise your existing budget plan.
Jim Muehlhausen, a small business expert and the author of The 51 Fatal Business Errors and How to Avoid Them, says it’s imperative for studio directors to take the summer to really look at their bottom line and make necessary changes to staffing and budgets. “Think carefully before staffing too heavily this fall. It is much easier to hire an extra instructor or assistant if you truly can’t handle the workload, versus the pain of having to let a trusted staff member go halfway through the season.” He also suggests you consider putting more students in each class. “Yes, your quality of service will suffer,” he says, “but consumers are very price-sensitive these days.”

Look for new ways to promote your business.
Gail Vartanian, director of the ContempraDance Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania, says that during the summer, she posts advertisement flyers all over her community and has one of her internet-savvy dancers search for places on the web to advertise for free.

Vartanian also uses the off months to bring in guest artists and offer special dance intensives not available during the rest of the year. She instructs her staff members to use extra enthusiasm and energy, so that kids are excited to come back in the fall. “New kids always ask for info about our regular classes, so I make sure that I have plenty of brochures on hand.” Holding multiple open houses where people can register for classes, tour the studio and get fitted for shoes and tights, is another way to bring in new faces, recommends Pitzer.

Muehlhausen also reminds studio owners to not only advertise to new clients, but to past students as well. “Personally call every ex-customer of the last three years. Do not ask them why they left. Create a ‘welcome back’ deal and try to convert them into a customer once again,” he recommends.

But remember the most important thing when planning for the new year: Make sure you reach out for help. Vartanian hires an office manager during the summer to help her get—and stay—organized all year long. “That’s my number one piece of advice,” she says. “Get an incredibly committed person or group of people to help you. Running a studio is a tough, time-consuming job. You really can’t do it alone.” DT

Debbie Strong is a freelance writer in New York City.

Pictures
Studio pictures will be taken Saturday, April 18th. Attached you will find a document called 2009 Picture Order. This is the schedule for picture day. Please be completely dress with hair and make-up done at least 15 minutes early. Your instructor will line up each class prior to pictures to make sure everyone is wearing their costume properly and to answer any questions you may have. You will need the correct shoe and tights for pictures. If you still need these, you will need to order them this week to have them in time for pictures.

NOTE: Junior and Tween Tap, we are going to try to move your pictures time up in the day. Junior tap will be taken as soon as everyone is ready. Tween tap, arrive 30 minute early.

Showcase Information
Attached you will find a file named 2009 Showcase Order. This shows which show your child (children) are participating in. It also shows the order of each show. If you are one of the unlucky 7 families whose children are participating in both show, please see me. The shows are on June 7th at 1pm and 5pm.

Lotto Drawing and Ticket Sales
Lotto drawing will be April 20th to May 2nd. Lotto tickets may be drawn when you are normally here for class. Your lotto ticket will contain a time at which you will come in on May 9th to purchase your tickets. Seating for the Showcase is assigned. Therefore, it is important that you come in at your time. If you can not make your time you can send someone in your place. If that isn’t an option either, you may come in to purchase your tickets the following week as there still will be seats available. Tickets are $10 a piece and you may purchase as many as you need for one of both shows.

Participation Awards
Each student participating in this years Showcase will receive a ribbon. Students who have participated for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 years will receive a trophy. These will be handed out in the last week of class and the trophy recipient will be listed in the Showcase program. Attached you will find a document called Awards.pdf. Please check it to make sure your child’s participation year is correct. If not, please let Jeff know.

Regional Teams
Don’t forget your first competition is coming up April 25th and 26th. You should have received information about hair, make-up and costumes last week. If you did not, please see Jeff. As soon as we have the performance times we will get that out to you, usually 7-10 days before the competition.

Summer Schedule
The summer schedule is now available online. You can find it under the Children section.

The requirements necessary to enter competitions roughly include proper dance training and technique, well-rehearsed routines and/or solos, costumes, make-up, and of course, the appropriate documentation with payments completed. The conditions of entry do not include good etiquette, but, perhaps, should be added to the list. It seems poor behavior and lack of sportsmanship are so prevalent, they are quickly becoming a troublesome fixture of the competition circuit.

Lately, the chance of being congratulated after a great performance is dismal, but the chance that people will be chatting in the wings and the audience is more than just possible, it’s downright audible. If you’re looking to make friends, or simply get a spot in the dressing room, look no further than the tepid glances and multitude of pre-claimed spots. Before you singularly blame the kids, it is time to think broader. Parents and teachers have become offenders as well, and in some cases the encouragers. While there are those still humble and cordial to others, they have increasingly become a rare breed. When the kids are acting up, many competition directors and judges exclaim, “Where are the parents?” but look no further than the misbehaving dancer to find the misbehaving parent or teacher.

Making the competition a fun and safe event begins with following the rules. No food in the auditorium, no cameras and no video recorders all seem to be a hot-button issue between directors and the adults.

“At the beginning, we announce ‘we’re here to have fun,’ but first I have a little 5-year-old dancer come up on stage and stand beside me,” says Dan Barris, Executive Director of Dancers Inc. “When I announce there are no food or drink signs, I say, ‘if you bring in coffee then that means little Sally doesn’t have to clean her room, right?’” After all the groans of the adults in the audience subside, little Sally replies, “Umm-Hmm!”

“If you can break the rules, it’s teaching your kids to break the rules,” says Barris. However, drinking and eating inside the venue seems only the beginning. Talking on cell phones while someone is performing, children running or sitting in the aisles, pushing and shoving, gossiping and ungracious acceptance of the awards occur more often than not.

Many times parents forget to clap for other schools and dancers besides their own, even snickering at those on stage. “If it’s not their studio on stage, they just don’t care,” says Lyn Prester, Director of Denville Dance Arts Center in Denville, NJ. She has also encountered parents fighting over seats in the audience, urging them to remember everyone is there for their children.

In some cases misbehavior becomes a real issue, differing with each event, dance school and individual. “Sad to say, it’s also regional,” says Joe Lanteri, Executive Director of NYC Dance Alliance. “There are areas of the country that everyone is extremely well behaved, no issues at all. Then there are other areas…well…not so much.”

Like technique class, rehearsals and summer intensives, dance competitions are a learning experience. Not only can the children benefit from the performance opportunities, but they look up to parents, their teachers and older dancers as role models. By disobeying the rules or being rude to fellow adults, it sets the precedent for how the kids behave.

“Seventy-five percent of parents are out of control,” says Timothy Miracle, competition judge and the Artistic Director/Owner of Miracle Dance Theatre in Cincinnati, OH. “They have a threatening attitude towards their child and there is lobby gossip. It’s become more and more cut-throat.”

The poor judgment of parents and teachers, when it comes to age appropriateness, transcends the dance routine itself. The make-up, hair and costumes are often too promiscuous for the age divisions. Great choreography is certainly more effective than a young child dancing to something way too “mature” for his or her own understanding. A wonderful performance can be an emotional experience for the dancer and audience alike, but the routines and solos shown at many competitions leave little to the imagination, never mind the emotions.

“It needs to be age appropriate,” says Barris. “Why do they need to dance to ‘Bang, Bang’ [The Nancy Sinatra song subtitled (My Baby Shot me Down)] when they’re 13? The choreographer needs to re-evaluate. ” If the goal of the event is to provide great dancing then there is no need for the shock value, as Barris labeled the all-to-frequent genre, “Angst-ridden contemporary.”

“Companies don’t dance to that. If you go to the city, you don’t see them dancing to that,” says Barris. Aside from pushing the boundaries, these risqué routines coupled with video recording and cameras can become a hazard in today’s Internet society.

“With videotaping my choreography can be stolen, but also the kids can be put on YouTube and MySpace,” says Michelle Tolson, Director of Dancers Inc. “We tell parents that we’re trying to protect your students.”

Miracle discussed stealing choreography as a rising concern, and if it’s put up on the school’s website there is a chance it can be copied. A simple call to ask permission would be the appropriate etiquette in this situation.

The gracious acceptance of awards as a courteous end to the event is also taken for granted. As Tolson pointed out, some dancers do not even stand to receive their award, they raise their hand and expect the award to be delivered to them. The occurrence of students throwing out their trophies, or expressing the disappointment with an outcome has become an all-to-common respect matter.

With some misbehavior including parents heckling the other dancers, faking birth certificates, and fathers drinking alcohol out in the parking lot, many disciplinary actions must be taken.

While sometimes behavior is corrected on the spot, usually involving an announcement or personal discussion, many teachers and directors find prevention the best way to alleviate the situation. Prestor goes over how her parents and students should conduct themselves before they arrive at the competition. If students, especially parents, get upset over the award outcome, Prestor reminds them it is someone’s opinion.

“Both dancers and parents need to be educated about these events,” says Lanteri. “I encourage dance teachers and studio owners to have regular dancer and parent meetings and clearly define guidelines. Most of the dancers are wearing their studio jackets. They represent the studio, the ‘team.’ The studio owners need to make sure they are properly being represented. Yes…all of the offstage behavior reflects on the ‘team.’”

Reminding parents and students to be respectful of others should come from the studio director. “A lot of people still don’t get that theater etiquette,” says Prestor. “If you went to a Broadway show you would be respectful, so why can’t you show them the same respect? You have to teach these things now a days.” She also stressed the importance of thinking before overreacting, especially when everyone is clearly overtired.

Once at the competition, there is a tactful way to approach someone acting inappropriately. “I first send someone from my staff to politely request that the behavior stop. If it continues to be a problem, then the announcement is made for the entire audience. We rarely get to that point,” says Lanteri of his events.

It is easy to recognize misbehavior when it is another school, but spotting it amongst your own group can often be a challenge. Miracle recalled a competition where he was told one of his dancers was in the audience talking and critiquing another’s routine. He immediately removed the student from the event. “I have a zero gossip policy,” says Miracle. “You are not allowed to critique. You can give compliments and congratulate.”

Most can agree that good behavior begins in the studio, and respect for the event and those who attend should be of utmost importance. Miracle teaches clean space by tidying dressing rooms and studios, also requiring his students go up to at least two other dancers and tell them they did a nice job, urging them to make friends.

Those who are noisy in the wings, or create other distractions, do not go unnoticed by the judges. Talking (to each other or on cell phones) falls into this category. “Rather than whisper, there are times you can clearly hear entire conversations,” says Lanteri, of parents as well as children. “The saddest part, the dancers onstage can clearly hear the conversation as well. They deserve better.”

Often the responsibility of being a role model to the younger ones can be an effective remedy to misbehavior and poor etiquette, a theory of Miracle’s. If everyone would keep in mind that someone is admiring your every action, many would be moved to be kinder, responsible and respectful.

“There are very few places to evaluate ourselves,” says Miracle. “Competitions facilitate that, but sometimes it becomes a negative.” If only the friendly spirit could be brought back into these events, more focus would be paid to the dancing and everyone could take one step closer to why they’re there in the first place.

by Meryl Cates — Feb 28, 2009 (Published in Dancer Magazine in March 2009)