Every year, dancers from the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Half Day invite well known choreographers from the professional dance world for a collaboration called “Choreographers’ Showcase.” This year, the Academy will have the unique opportunity to present a piece from world renowned dancer Merce Cunningham, one of only a select set of schools to be granted the rights to do so.
Like many of the guest artist who contribute their time, there is a direct connection with Cunningham and the Academy. Dance faculty member Linda Burns studied with Cunningham under a scholarship many years ago. Recently, to celebrate what would’ve been his 100th birthday, dancers from around the world presented his solos. This inspired the Academy to reach out to The Cunningham Trust to see if one his pieces could be presented for Choreographers’ Showcase. After viewing a video audition, the trust agreed and sent their choreographer Brandon Collwes. On October 26, as part of Choreographers’ Showcase, Academy performers will present Cunningham’s piece “Hartford MinEvent.”
A MinEvent is an uninterrupted sequence of excerpts drawn from the work of Merce Cunningham. Each MinEvent is unique, and is designed to suit the particular space in which it is presented, which in this case is The Academy.
It is very rare for an educational institution to be granted the licensing rights to perform a Cunningham piece. The Academy is only one of five highs schools to have ever been granted permission to perform his work.
In addition to the Cunningham piece, students will also present work from guest choreographers Kyle McHargh, Yoshito Sakuraba, Katie Stevinson Nollet, Merce Cunningham, and Alwin Nikolais.