John Cage and Merce Cunningham: beyond dualism in music and dance

• Grant number: 17/16469-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2017
• End date: October 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Music
• Principal Investigator: Yara Borges Caznok
• Grantee: Tatiana Avanço Ribeiro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Artes (IA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims at the comprehension of the collaborative aspects of the works of John Cage and Merce Cunningham. Collaborative approaches in music and dance, primarily explored in the 20th century by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, were widely used by John Cage and Merce Cunningham. Through the work of the latter the development of a concept called "independence between music and dance" became possible. However, a more accurate analysis of primary sources revealed that this relationship can be better understood as an "interdependence" between the two, demanding a search for adequate terminologies with regards to the choreomusical proposition of the duo, in order to move beyond the question whether music and dance go together or not, a problem that is not suitable for Cage's musical thinking. Our examination focus on the applicability of analytical procedures stemming from choreomusicology on the works of Cage-Cunningham. Lastly, we intend to provide a translation into Portuguese of John Cage's "Four statements on the Dance". (AU)