Sonic Youth & John Paul Jones celebrating Merce Cunningham's 90th birthday w/ 4 shows @ BAM
“April 16 marks the 90th birthday of Merce Cunningham–one of the most important choreographers of our time–whose radical approaches to space, time, and technology continue to redefine the way we experience dance. Over the course of his celebrated career, he has forged a distinctive language of movement, illuminating the body’s inherent drama and limitless capacity for change. And as a longtime collaborator of John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, he has played a leading role in fostering innovation across art forms.
In celebration of his birthday, Merce Cunningham Dance Company returns to BAM with the world premiere of a dazzling evening-length work created in collaboration with and performed live by underground rock legend Sonic Youth, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and mixed-media sound composer Takehisa Kosugi. With an intriguing multi-tiered décor by world-renowned architect Benedetta Tagliabue, lighting by Tony and Obie-winning designer Brian MacDevitt, and costumes by Romeo Gigli, this new masterpiece is testament to the boundless imagination of a man who, on the cusp of his ninth decade, still keeps us on our toes.”
This show is happening at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on Apr 16 at 7pm, Apr 17 & 18 at 7:30pm, and Apr 19 at 3pm. Its running time is 90min with intermission. Tickets are ON SALE (thx Hiro).
It’s not totally clear to me if Sonic Youth will be playing any of their own songs at the four BAM performances (I’m looking into though). What they’ll decide to put on the setlist at the No Fun Fest show they’re playing in Brooklyn in May is also somewhat of a mystery.
Sonic Youth‘s 16th album, ‘The Eternal’, is out via Matador Records on June 9th. Maybe we’ll get a plain old Sonic Youth concert some time around then.
