Split Sides: Merce Cunningham Dance Company

Merce Cunningham, who died July 26, 2009, was a major force in the world of dance. An avant-garde choreographer concentrating on pure form in body movement, Cunningham pioneered the use of computers in choreography and, together with composer and life partner John Cage, explored the concept of chance in developing patterns of movement. Split Sides, a commissioned piece that premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2003, takes chance to the extreme: each dance consists of two 20-minute episodes in which the creative elements of set design, costumes, lighting, music, and choreography are combined in an order determined by the role of dice onstage prior to the performance. “Split Sides 45” combines choreography “A” with music by Icelandic experimentalist group Sigur Rós, followed by choreography “B,” featuring music by British alt-rock band Radiohead, while “Split Sides 46” reverses the order of presentation (taken together, the pieces here represent four of the 32 possible combinations). Disc options allow the viewer to choose the order of the music or select ambient sound only. An intriguing idea, albeit one best appreciated by those seriously interested in the technicalities of dance performance, Split Sides is definitely recommended for dance collections, but is optional elsewhere. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)