BERLIN STORY - A RE-IMAGINING OF STORY

Based on the original STORY as created in 1963 by Merce Cunningham, an indeterminate work reconfigured for each show using both chance procedures and in-performance decision making. Additional choreographic material developed by the Dance On Ensemble under the direction of Daniel Squire.

“Story” was first performed by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company on July 24, 1963 at the University of California, Los Angeles. During the sixteen months it remained in the company’s repertory, it was performed 48 times in 41 different venues. According to Cunningham, “the title does not refer to any implicit or explicit narrative, but to the fact that each spectator may interpret the events in his own way.”
 

The structure of “Story” was indeterminate. It was made up of 18 sections – solos, duets, trios, and larger units – which could be done in any order. Within each section, the dancers could make choices about the space, time and order of the movement. Any or all of the sections could be used in a given performance. The overall duration of “Story” varied from as short as 15 to as long as 40 minutes.

The set and costumes were similarly variable. Robert Rauschenberg constructed a new set from material he found in or near the theater on the day of each performance. For the costumes, he collected an assortment of garments to be worn over a basic outfit of leotards and tights. The dancers were free to wear whatever garments they chose, and to change as often as they wished. The music, by Toshi Ichiyanagi, was also indeterminate, leaving the players free to make choices about instrumentation and duration of sounds that insured variability from performance to performance.

The archival record of “Story” is intriguing, but limited. There is only one recording of the dance, a kinescope of a 1964 live telecast in Helsinki, Finland. This recording represents one possible outcome of the indeterminate structure, but it does not capture the full range of material or the spectrum of choices the performers were making. Merce Cunningham’s choreographic notes provide additional information, as do anecdotal accounts. But certain elements and aspects of the dance remain unknown.

Given these circumstances, a typical reconstruction of “Story” is not possible. The Dance On Ensemble has, instead, undertaken a re-imagining of the piece. Drawing on archival resources, Daniel Squire, an experienced stager of Merce Cunningham’s work, has taught the movement and options that are known, and guided the dancers to invent new material to be integrated into the indeterminate structure. Similarly, Patrick Lauckner will create lighting designs in keeping with the original concepts and spirit of Story, while Berlin artist John Bock has taken on the role of Robert Rauschenberg offering ready made constructions along with other variable and changing art works to engage with. Toshi Ichiyanagi’s Sapporo performed by Rabih Mroué, Mattef Kuhlmey and Tobias Weber completes the work. The result, “Berlin Story”, reexamines and reanimates a dance last presented 55 years ago.