As a poor kid, living in a tiny, tiny town in the mountains of Idaho, I was the only kid in town who took dance classes at the bizarre dance studio on Main Street that offered "modern dance." I remember in high-school seeing Merce Cunningham's work on a late-night PBS special. I was babysitting, my way of of making a buck, and stretching, just something I liked to do. The line and grace of the dancers mesmerized me, the music confused me, and I knew I so wanted to try to participate in the art form of dance. With no big, academic degrees, just a lot of passion and some talent, I came to the city and did get to dance a little. Thanks for the inspiration, Merce. Your dances will live on for a very long time.
Holly Eckert
choreographer/dancer

I had the pleasure of working with Merce from 2001 until 2008, both as the lighting designer for many of his works, and as the director of production for his dance company. In that time, Merce taught me how to see again - he had an uncanny ability of noticing things the rest of us didn’t. The movement of animals and children; the shifting light in the room as the sun tracked across the sky. For a time, he would videotape everything happening in front of him - he was fascinated by the world and it’s inhabitants.

Although I’d already been working in technical theatre for 15 years, I learned new things from him all the time, simply from his having worked in theatres for 70+ years (and possesing that clever mind). Merce frequently came up with elegant, simple solutions to technical challenges we faced - for example, the method by which the dancers magically appear and disappear at the back of the stage during BIPED.

Moreover, Merce was an inspiration simply on a human level. He would always greet you with, “How are YOU?”, genuinely wanting to know. He would much rather hear about the world out there, what’s happening right now, than talk about himself or his own work. What a refreshing change from so many egocentric artists.
Merce had such integrity when it came to the artists he chose to work with - no matter how outlandish the concept a given composer or scenographer came up with, Merce always found a way to accomodate their requests.

Merce had a child-like wonder about the world that I continue to admire and strive to emulate.

Thank you for being who you were, Merce - you inspired so many of us in unforgettable ways.

Josh Johnson