Merce Cunningham was born in Centralia, went to Cornish College, and basically invented contemporary dance, as we know it, graduating it from Graham and Duncan into a whole new galaxy. He worked with the major artists of the 20th century—Jasper Johns, Radiohead, Robert Rauschenberg, his longtime creative and romantic partner John Cage—and died in 2009. If you ever wanted to see what Merce Cunningham was about, this legacy tour of selected works performed by Cunningham’s dancers while their memories are fresh is your best shot. (Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St, 877-784-4849, $27–$55, 8 pm)