The day that M.Cunningham and J.Cage were invited to the Opera

Major partners of the Paris Opera’s 350th anniversary

Major partners of
the Paris Opera’s 350th anniversary

A suivre:

Abbé Perrin (Director of...

The day that M.Cunningham and J.Cage were invited to the Opera

[Le jour où] Merce Cunningham et John Cage étaient invités au Palais Garnier.

In 1973 the public discovered the backstage of Un jour ou deux at the Palais Garnier during an Open Day. This contemporary ballet was created for the Paris Autumn Festival by Merce Cunnongham on a John Cage music.

“I think movement is the meaning of dance and dance is music. They are separate arts and yet they exist together.”

“It is a lot of work. The training is different of what we are used to and it’s quite surprising at the beginning. We’ve been working for almost 6 weeks and it’s been a week now that I can feel my feet again!”

How would you describe music compare to dance?

“As Merce Cunningham said it, music and dance happen at the same time and in the same place.”

A peculiar music, both written and improvised, played with a magnetic tape, a cardboard box and twenty musicians moving along, under the direction of three conductors named “coordinators."