Choreographer Merce Cunningham dies at 90
NEW YORK (AP) - July 27, 2009 A spokeswoman for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Leah
Sandals, says Cunningham died on Sunday at his Manhattan home of
natural causes.
His career spanned more than 60 years and some 150 works. He
revolutionized dance by wiping out storytelling and even tossing
coins or dice to determine steps. He said the use of chance helped
free his imagination.
He worked closely with composer John Cage, his longtime partner
who died in 1992, and with visual artists such as Jasper Johns.
Though he had to use a wheelchair in later years, he remained an
active artist. When he turned 90 in April, he premiered a long
piece called "Nearly Ninety."