Baryshnikov Arts Center Presents IN CONVERSATION WITH MERCE

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) opens its fall 2021 digital season with In Conversation with Merce, a filmed presentation featuring a suite of solos and duets from Merce Cunningham's Landrover, and two world premieres by Liz Gerring and Kyle Abraham created in response to the 1972 work. The program includes interviews with the choreographers and with Merce Cunningham Trust stager Jamie Scott and trustee Patricia Lent. In Conversation with Merce is free and available to watch on demand September 20-30 (Monday at 5pm EST until Thursday at 5pm EST) at bacnyc.org.

In Conversation with Merce features excerpts from Landrover, a large-scale ensemble piece created by Cunningham at his Westbeth studio in Manhattan. The work premiered at BAM in 1972. Cunningham said that the image for the dance "was people moving in different landscapes. American perhaps in the sense that we move in our country-across varied spaces-with varied backgrounds." This latest iteration of solos and duets is performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater members Jacquelin Harris and Chalvar Monteiro. Both dancers performed in the Cunningham Trust's Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in April 2019. Staging for this project is by former Cunningham dancer Jamie Scott. The arrangement features a new score by John King and Anaïs Maviel and costumes by Reid Bartelme & Harriet Jung, based on the original design by Jasper Johns.

The program also includes two world premieres created in response to Landrover-a playful duet from Kyle Abraham and a duet by Liz Gerring that considers landscape and scale, both performed by members of their own companies. Abraham's work is performed by Claude "CJ" Johnson and Donovan Reed. Gerring's duet features an original score by her longtime collaborator Michael J. Schumacher and is performed by Mariah Anton and Cemiyon Barber. Costumes for both pieces are by Reid Bartelme & Harriet Jung. The premieres by Abraham and Gerring have been commissioned by BAC.

All works were filmed by Tatyana Tenenbaum in August 2021 at BAC's John Cage & Merce Cunningham Studio.