Studies for Westbeth is a dance performance realized for the courtyard at Westbeth. It draws upon improvisational scores, choreographed material, and spatial patterns developed by the artist in response to the iconic Richard Meier-designed courtyard and Westbeth (1975), Merce Cunningham's first video collaboration with Charles Atlas, scored by John Cage. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company rehearsed at Westbeth from 1971 until 2010, a year after Cunningham's death; Westbeth premiered on February 14, 1975, as a stage work and dance video. In the six part video Cunningham explores the possibilities of representing dance through the visual language and structures of film. Studies for Westbeth is similarly rooted in collaboration and experimentation—an ongoing and durational study that gestures toward Westbeth's creative legacy.
Choreographed by Juli Brandano. Performed by Cayleen Del Rosario, Amelia Koper Heintzelman, Jade Manns, and Owen Prum.
Performed May 21, 2022
VIDEO BY LILI DREKKER
