Baryshnikov Arts Presents: MERCE / MISHA / MORE

ABOUT THE WORK

Baryshnikov Arts presents the encore of MERCE / MISHA / MORE, a film celebrating decades of friendship, mutual admiration, and collaboration between Mikhail Baryshnikov and Merce Cunningham. Back by popular demand after its spring 2024 premiere, the production includes interviews with Mikhail Baryshnikov, rarely seen rehearsal footage from 1967 and 1994, the duet from Cunningham’s Landrover, featuring Jacquelin Harris and Chalvar Monteiro, and Daniel Madoff’s film Event at REDCAT, performed in 2010 by Mikhail Baryshnikov with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and produced by Nancy Dalva.

This program celebrates the 60th anniversary of Merce Cunningham’s first Event, and the 50th anniversary of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s arrival in the West.

Introduction by film producer Nancy Dalva, with special appearances by dancers Sienna Blaw, Sarah Cecilia Bukowski, Morgan Amirah Burns, Claude “CJ” Johnson, and Chaery Moon, and joined by Mikhail Baryshnikov.  

Credits

Rehearsal of Signals (1970)

White Oak Dance Project

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Courtesy of Mikhail Baryshnikov and the New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division

Excerpts from 498 3rd Avenue (1967)

© NDR, Director: Klaus Wildenhahn

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Courtesy of Merce Cunningham Trust

Excerpt from Landrover (1972)

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Music: John King and Anaïs Maviel

Costumes: Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung, after the original design by Jasper Johns

Performed by Jacquelin Harris and Chalvar Monteiro

Arranged and staged by Jamie Scott

Filmed and edited by Tatyana Tenenbaum

Courtesy of Baryshnikov Arts and Merce Cunningham Trust

Excerpts from Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance (2000)

© La-Sept-Arte-INA-Thirteen/WNET-BBC-NPS, Director: Charles Atlas

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Courtesy of Charles Atlas

Excerpt from Occasion Piece (1999)

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Music: John Cage, “Music for Marcel Duchamp”

Costumes: Suzanne Gallo

Decor: Jasper Johns after The Large Glass by Marcel Duchamp

Lighting: Aaron Copp

Performed by Merce Cunningham and Mikhail Baryshnikov

Courtesy of Charles Atlas and the New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division

Event at REDCAT (2010)

Merce Cunningham Dance Company with guest artist Mikhail Baryshnikov

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Arranged and staged by Robert Swinston

Music: John Cage

Decor: Robert Rauschenberg, Immerse

Dancers: Brandon Collwes, Dylan Crossman, Julie Cunningham, Emma Desjardins, Jennifer Goggans, John Hinrichs, Daniel Madoff, Rashaun Mitchell, Marcie Munnerlyn, Krista Nelson, Silas Riener, Jamie Scott, Melissa Toogood, Andrea Weber

Musicians: Paul Berkholds, Jaqueline Boback, Mark Boback

Costumes: Anna Finke

Lighting: Christine Shallenburg

Live sound mix: Stephan Moore

Director of production: Davison Scandrett

Additional footage from Mondays With Merce film library, producer: Nancy Dalva

Camera operators: Christopher Young, Nic Petry, Kevin Carr, Kenneth E. Parris III

Film created by: Daniel Madoff

Producer: Nancy Dalva

Color correction: Milan Bonchic

Post-production sound mix: The End Audio

Editing consultant: Jennifer Goggans

Special thanks to: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Baryshnikov Arts, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Merce Cunningham Trust, John Cage Trust and in grateful memory of Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg

Just Dancing (1999)

Choreography: Merce Cunningham

Courtesy of Charles Atlas

Music: “Beautiful People (1994 Radio Mix)”

Written by Luis Vega and Lem Springsteen

Performed by Barbara Tucker

All choreography by Merce Cunningham © Merce Cunningham Trust. All rights reserved.

Original footage, graphics and compilation of MERCE / MISHA / MORE by Mighty Egg Productions

Additional Music

“31+g”

Written and performed by Monplaisir feat Southman

Mighty Egg Productions and Baryshnikov Arts would like to thank Charles Atlas, Patricia Lent, Ken Tabachnick, Lisa Takemoto, Daisy Pommer, Merce Cunningham Trust and The New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division for their invaluable help, guidance and support.

film Artists and Producers

Mikhail Baryshnikov is considered one of the greatest dancers of our time. Born in Riga, Latvia, he trained at the Riga Choreographic School and later the Vaganova Academy in Leningrad and was a principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet until coming to the West in 1974. After settling in New York City as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT), he joined New York City Ballet in 1978 where he worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. A year later he was appointed artistic director of ABT where, for the next decade, he introduced a new generation of dancers and choreographers. From 1990–2002, Mr. Baryshnikov was director and dancer of the White Oak Dance Project, which he and choreographer Mark Morris co-founded to expand the repertoire and visibility of American modern dance. In 2005, Mikhail Baryshnikov launched Baryshnikov Arts in New York City, a creative space designed to support multidisciplinary artists from around the globe. Among Mr. Baryshnikov’s many awards are the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, the Commonwealth Award, the Chubb Fellowship, the Jerome Robbins Award, and the Vilcek Award.

Merce Cunningham (1919–2009) was a celebrated dancer and choreographer renowned for his groundbreaking work and his profound influence on generations of dancemakers and artists. Born in Centralia, Washington, he attended the Cornish School in Seattle where he was introduced to the work of Martha Graham and met the composer John Cage who would become his closest collaborator and life partner. In 1939, after relocating to New York City, Cunningham began a six-year tenure as a soloist in the Graham company, and soon began presenting his own choreography. In the summer of 1953, during a teaching residency at Black Mountain College, Cunningham formed a dance company to explore his innovative ideas. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company remained in continuous operation until its closure in 2011, with Cunningham as artistic director until his death in 2009. Over the course of his seventy-year career he choreographed 180 dances and over 700 Events, collaborated with such renowned artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, David Tudor and Christian Wolff, and earned some of the highest honors bestowed in the arts.

Nancy Dalva is delighted to return to Baryshnikov Arts with Event at REDCAT after presenting the “BAC Flicks: Mondays with Merce” film series here. A writer, a documentarian, and the Scholar in Residence of Merce Cunningham Trust, she makes her debut here as an independent producer, bringing into the present day a magical evening uniting the work of Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, and John Cage. She thanks Mikhail Baryshnikov, Lisa Rinehart, Pedja Mužijević, Baryshnikov Arts, and always, Merce Cunningham Trust and the dancers and production staff of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

Jacquelin Harris began training at Dance Productions Studios in Charlotte, NC. She graduated with honors from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. She received a 2017 dance fellowship from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Ms. Harris was a member of Ailey II and has guested with the Cunningham Trust as well as Twyla Tharp. Currently, Ms. Harris is a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Daniel Madoff is a film director, cinematographer, editor, and producer. His work includes award-winning films which have screened worldwide, and commercials for national television campaigns. He has created content for Bacardi, St-Germain, Aberfeldy, Anheuser-Busch, Dewar’s, Gillette, LinkedIn, Grey Goose, Michelob Ultra, BMW, Bank of America, People, BBC America, Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, Ailey II, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Trisha Brown Dance Company, among others. His Rhiannon Giddens music video featuring the Pennsylvania Innocence Project recently aired on “The Daily Show.” Before entering the world of film, Daniel was a dancer with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

Chalvar Monteiro hails from Montclair, NJ and is currently a performing artist with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Prior to joining AAADT, he was a collaborator and performer with Kyle Abraham’s Abraham.In.Motion, Elisa Monte Dance, Sidra Bell Dance New York, and others. In 2020, Chalvar joined the faculty at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and has presented choreography at numerous institutions and festivals across the United States.

Mighty Egg Productions was co-founded by Jennifer Hamblett and Lisa Rinehart in 2014. Their mission is to create non-fiction visual stories that educate, inspire, and enact change. Clients include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bezos Family Foundation, City University of New York, the New York Stem Cell Foundation, BBC News, MSNBC, American Ballet Theatre, the Joyce Theater, and Stanford University.

ABOUT BARYSHNIKOV ARTS

Baryshnikov Arts, founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov, is rooted in the belief that artists hold irreplaceable roles in our world, shaping perspectives, offering new approaches, and initiating crucial conversations in complex social, political, and cultural environments. Baryshnikov Arts supports extraordinary artists’ freedom to experiment with unique artistic expression that asks audiences to view the world in new ways. We offer performance and commissioning opportunities, artist residencies, and more. baryshnikovarts.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dave S. Hattem, Chairman
R. Jarrett Lilien, Treasurer
Steven C. Dupré, Secretary

Mikhail Baryshnikov
Jamie Bishton
Sandy Choi
Frank Cordasco
Richard DeScherer
William James Earle
Sandra Foschi

Jennifer Frautschi
Slavka B. Glaser
Rebecca Goldring
Sonja Kostich
Steven M. Pesner
Darryl Pinckney
Shelley Washington

STAFF

Mikhail Baryshnikov, Founder and Artistic Director
Sonja Kostich, President and Executive Director

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Rafayel Nagdimov, Director of Finance and Administration
Alexandra Cook, Administrative Manager

PROGRAMMING
Ashley Baer, Program Manager
Pedja Muzijevic, Artistic Administrator

DEVELOPMENT
Chani Sebazco, Development Manager
Apotheosis Events, Event Planning

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Lydia Murray, Marketing Manager
Dylan MacDowell, Social Media Associate

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS
Tyler Benware, Director of Production and Operations
Jesse Campbell, Technical Director and Operations Supervisor
Natasha Bruno, Technical and Operations Manager

CONSULTANTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS
Margot Becker, Grants Writer
Stephen Viksjo, Graphic Designer
Eric Wolfram, Web Developer
Sean Regan, Perfect Balance Bookkeeping, Inc., Bookkeeper

Special thanks to our production crew, front-of-house staff, and volunteers, and to our caterer, Mimi’s Plate, based in Tappan, New York.

BARYSHNIKOV ARTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Baryshnikov Arts is grateful for the contributions of its generous supporters.

Individual

John H. Abeles; Michelle A. Auerbach; Joanne Barak; Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lisa Rinehart; Douglas Baxter; Ariel Bengio; Jamie Bishton; Philip Boroff; James Carlson; Pamela Ceglinski; Jesse Chin; Sandy Choi; Anya Cole; Amy Collins; Frank A. Cordasco; Richard Corton; Margo Crespin; Rupert de Laszlo; Richard and Jennie DeScherer; Elizabeth DeVita; Janet A. Dewan; Steven C. Dupré; William James Earle; Jennifer Fortner; Karen Freedman and Roger Weisberg; Alex Fridlyand; Norman Friedland; Paul Ghiz; Jane Gladstone; Slavka B. Glaser; Rebecca Goldring; Daniel Goleman; Sharon Gonen; Nicholas Hare; Dave S. Hattem; Gemzel Hernandez; Olaf Unsoeld and Huong M. Hoang; Rodney Hobbs; Joan Hooker; Brody Howatt; Kelly Hubble; Cathy Kadets; Steven Katz; Nunally Kersh; Oona Keating; Karen Kochevar; Sonja Kostich; Miodrag Kukrika; The LeRoy Family; Leonard Levie; Jarrett and Maritess Lilien; Nick and Cass Ludington; Bisrat Mekbeb; LeConte Moore; Mark R. Morris; Fred Nazem and Susie Gharib; Franci Neely; Adam J. Oestreich; Brian S. O’Neil; Jeffrey and Meredith Oppenheim; Zaza Pachulia; Steven M. Pesner; Darryl and James Pinckney; Joseph Plocek; Aidan and Elizabeth Quinn; Kirk Radke and Liz Gerring; Dianna Raedle; Foster Reed; James and Gemsel Roe; John Sansone; Marty Secada; Nancy Seltzer, Jr.; Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan; Wallace Shawn; Lois Sherwin; Genevieve Springer; Matthew Steimel; Glenn Stevens; Angele Surault; Lisa Takemoto; Michael Tersigni; Julie C. Van Camp; Reggie Van Lee; Illiana van Meeteren; Louis Venturelli; Nicola Walter; Deborah Ward; Jedediah Wheeler; Shelley Washington; David N. White; Matthew Yee; Andrew Zobler

Institutional

Anonymous; A G Foundation; Affirmation Arts Fund; Alex Katz Foundation; Alphadyne Foundation; Apotheosis Events; Arnhold Foundation; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Cyrus Capital Partners; Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Enoch Foundation; The Marshall Frankel Foundation; Princess Grace Foundation- USA; Howard Gilman Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust; Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance; Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; New Dramatists; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Robert Rauschenberg Foundation; The Jerome Robbins Foundation; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.; The Shubert Foundation; The Thompson Family Foundation; The TNS Group

As of September 2024

Baryshnikov Arts is grateful for:

Funding of the Bloodlines Interwoven Festival made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts

Funding made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature

Yamaha is the official piano of Baryshnikov Arts.