Merce Cunningham wanted dance not to be about telling a story or to have any meaning, he wanted to dance for dance sake. In order too do this he took the story out and the meaning, but also separated the dance and music.
With this, he was heavily influenced by composer John Cage where he uses chance too create different sections of music. Cunningham took this idea and came up with chance dance, where he’d create different sections of dance and before the performers went on stage the order of the dance and music would be different.
Though it’s not stated anywhere, with the dance not being made by music but separately, links back to the idea that Laban wanted dance too be about. About dance being relieved from being music visualization.
Merce Cunningham was invited too join Martha Graham‘s Dance company in 1939. He was there for many years and gained lead roles but also he choreographed some solo work outside the company in 1944. From then onward, he started to develop his own technique.
Some of his work includes Nearly Ninety (2009), Loose Time (2002), Way Station (2001) and Interscape (2000). Nearly Ninety consisted “mostly of solos, duets and trios” [7]. This was focusing on “human interaction and independence” [7] Compare with early work to work now.
Merce Cunningham had a small impact on the contemporary development as he took the idea from Rudolf Laban about the dance can be more significant if separate from music. But he came up with a way to separate dance and music while randomizing when the movement are. This goes and helps out with choreographing some pieces, mainly in schools, with dance and also allows the children to become confident with choreography.
Information gained from Bibliography:
[1]
Callum Dance Blog 