Rambert Event

A new staging of Merce Cunningham’s

legendary Events

‘When you’re close enough to see chests rising and drops of sweat fall

to the floor that’s a real privilege.’London Evening Standard

‘Watching the dance in an intimate space is to be overwhelmed by its rigour and precision.’ The Times

In June 1964 in Vienna, Merce Cunningham staged the first of his now legendary “Events”. He would go on to present Events around the world, each combining dance, music and design in a way that was unique to that location, and that performance. They became the great choreographer’s signature works, exemplifying his revolutionary approach to performance-making.

50 years on, and five years after Cunningham’s death, Rambert, Britain’s national dance company, has created a new Event. It was conceived for the spaces in Rambert’s brand new home on London’s South Bank, where the Company’s extraordinary dancers performed extracts from 10 Cunningham works, dating back to 1953, arranged and staged by former Cunningham dancer and rehearsal assistant Jeannie Steele.

The Event features costumes and sets based on artworks by Gerhard Richter – widely acclaimed as the world’s greatest living painter – and new music composed and performed live by Philip Selway from Radiohead. Together, they form a vibrant, living celebration of the work of the most influential figure in contemporary dance history.

RambertRambert is unique. Our history as Britain’s oldest dance company is constantly refreshed by the creation of new dance works. We commission the most exciting choreographers, composers and designers around, and give them the freedom to lead us wherever their vision and imagination takes them.

Current and recently commissioned choreographers include leading UK-based dance-makers Kim Brandstrup, Aletta Collins, Shobana Jeyasingh, Ashley Page and Rambert’s Artistic Director Mark Baldwin. Alongside these new creations, we have revived seminal works from our past repertoire by internationally-celebrated choreographers including Christopher Bruce, Lucinda Childs, Merce Cunningham and Siobhan Davies.

Our 22 dancers are among the finest in the world, with backgrounds in both classical and contemporary dance. Our mix of new creations and classic works creates a repertoire like no other: a diverse collection linked by the highest production standards, music played live (wherever possible) by our orchestra, and world-class performance.

Rambert has just moved to a new, award-winning building in the heart of the cultural quarter on London’s South Bank designed and purpose-built to help realise our creative vision for the next 100 years. From this buiding, we tour our work nationally and internationally, complemented by equally extensive school and community-based work.

It is our commitment to excellence, to presenting new and historic works, and to taking world-class dance to the widest possible audience, that makes Rambert Britain’s national dance company.

Recent awardsWinner: Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding CompanyWinner: Dane Hurst for Best Male Dancer, Critics’ Circle National Dance Award

‘These close up details tell us so much more about the dancers and the dance than we would ever discern from theatre seats, and I wish we saw more contemporary work presented like this.’ The Observer

Jeannie Steele – StagerJeannie Steele danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1993-2005. She began staging the repertory in 1998 working with a number of companies including MCDC, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet and Rambert. In 2000, Cunningham created the position of rehearsal assistant for Steele, which she held until 2006. In 2007, she accepted a position at London Contemporary Dance School. In addition to LCDS, she teaches regularly for Richard Alston, Matthew Bourne, Michael Clark, DV8 and Rambert. In 2013, Steele was curator of the dance component for the exhibition, Dancing Around The Bride/Cage, Cunningham, Johns, Rauschenberg and Duchamp at the Barbican.

Gerhard Richter – Design The distinctive hanging backdrops and costume designs that accompany the Event are based on a series of paintings by Gerhard Richter known as Cage (1) – (6). Richter is one of the most celebrated living visual artists. The paintings were inspired by the work of composer John Cage, whom Richter had never personally met but whose work had long held a resonance with his own. Cage was Merce Cunningham’s life partner and long-time musical collaborator, and so these particular works seemed the ideal bedfellows for the choreography. This is the first time that the artist’s work has been incorporated into a performance.

gerhard-richter.com

Music for the Rambert Event Philip Selway, best known as the drummer with rock band Radiohead, was commissioned to create a new score for the Rambert Event. Working in collaboration with composers and multi-instrumentalists Adem Ilhan and Quinta, he has created a modular electro-acoustic score which is performed live at each performance. Bringing together electronic music, grand piano, violin, xylophones and musical saw, and born of the chance philosophy of Cunningham’s work, they have produced a soundscape that responds to the randomness and fluidity of the movement.

philipselway.com

‘An expression of beauty that’s both abstract and heart wrenching, profoundly sophisticated and perfectly simple.’ The Guardian

Images & films Images and videos can be provided. Visit our website to watch the company in action.

Hosting a Rambert EventFor further details, contactNadia Stern+44 (0)20 8630 0600nadia.stern@rambert.org.uk

rambert.org.uk

rambertdance

rambertdancecompany

Photos: Tony NandiDancers: (from first page) Miguel Altunaga, Stephen Wright, Antonette Dayrit, Vanessa Kang, Lucy Balfour, Mbulelo Ndabeni, Dane Hurst, Mark Kimmet.