Merce cunningham

I'm so glad I saw his final piece, opening night on his final birthday. And the lecture later, at the Guggenheim, on the process of chance. I was as exposed as possible I guess, and I was charmed.

My favorite piece by Cunningham is Winterbranch from 1964. It was performed in black sweatsuits and a footballer's facepaint, largely in darkness with roving spotlights, with drilling, abrasive music (design by Rauchenburg and music by LaMonte Young I'm pretty sure). The dance was about falling, ways of falling and getting up. There is repeated impact of all the joints on the floor, or sliding down without an impact, or a sudden trust into a backwards spin he must've learned with Martha Graham and then made more violent. It looks like a disaster. I love this photo of it because it features Carolyn Brown, the most incredible modern dancer I've ever seen on film. Plus she is beautiful. Merce is center in this photo. If you ever find a copy of Winterbranch you should see it and I would like to see it again too.

after

the kids have really sunburned necks and watery eyes, but Lilli's always looked spaced like that anyway. She's really skinny and was wearing a sweatshirt down to her knees. Gabe was clearly angling for a sleepover, sprawled on the couch. In a few energetic minutes they shot fireworks out the front windows, onto the street.
no one knows: lydia's friends are still checking in "Stay strong, love you" on Facebook. My mom proposed not having a service. She was just tired probably, impossibly tired. It was her little sister. I checked, she was just recently turned 43 years old.

free to be...

i don't wanna change because i still wanna be your friend foreveranever