The modern dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham died in 2009, and the company he led gave its final performance at the end of last year. Many of his dances will live on in the memories of former company members who go on to restage them. But there's one solo, "Loops," that Cunningham never taught to another dancer. This piece lives on through a different medium: digital motion capture.
"Loops," which Cunningham choreographed for himself in 1971, explores rotations of all kinds. Originally a full-body dance, "Loops" eventually narrowed to Cunningham's hands alone. In old age, Cunningham performed the piece seated in a chair. Now no living performer knows how to dance "Loops." But computer programs do, and they continue to create variations of Cunningham's work.
In August 2000, OpenEndedGroup, a trio of digital artists in New York City, affixed reflective markers to Cunningham's hands and had him perform "Loops" in ...
