On centenary of Merce Cunningham's birth, new clip released for Cunningham-themed documentary 'If The Dancer Dances'

Film directed by Maia Wechsler opens in New York April 26 and LA a week later, with national release to follow

On the 100th anniversary of dancer/choreographer Merce Cunningham's birth, a clip has been released from a new documentary that celebrates his work. 

If the Dancer Dances, directed by Maia Wechsler and produced by Wechsler and Lise Friedman, opens in New York on Friday, April 26 and the following Friday, May 3, in Los Angeles. A national release will follow (more information here).

"If the Dancer Dances invites viewers into the intimate world of the dance studio," according to a press release about the documentary. "Stephen Petronio, one of today’s leading dance-makers, is determined to help his dancers breathe new life into RainForest (1968), an iconic work by the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham. With help from three members of the former Cunningham company, the film tracks Petronio’s dancers as they strive to re-stage this great work, revealing what it takes to keep a dance – and a legacy – alive."

The dance studio is a private and mysterious place. If the Dancer Dances grants us rare access, bringing us into the studio to watch the staging of a Merce Cunningham masterwork on the Stephen Petronio Company.

--Mikhail Baryshnikov on If the Dancer Dances

The documentary has won praise from no less a figure than Mikhail Baryshnikov.

"The dance studio is a private and mysterious place. If the Dancer Dances grants us rare access, bringing us into the studio to watch the staging of a Merce Cunningham masterwork on the Stephen Petronio Company," Baryshnikov has said. "It's the tracking of this intimate process, a dance being passed one body to another, that makes this film a great gift." 

​Watch the new clip below. The trailer is posted beneath the clip.

IF THE DANCER DANCES Clip from Monument Releasing on Vimeo.

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IF THE DANCER DANCES - Official Trailer (2019) from Monument Releasing on Vimeo.