“Can you bring me something to drink? I’ll bring Mars too.”
In certain circles — OK, in my case — that name can belong to just one person. That’s Merc Cunningham, his 20th century choreographer who reinvented modern dance. In recent weeks, his name has been featured in a strange place: “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
In a recent episode, Sutton Stracke traveled to Spain with her fellow housewives. She brought Cunningham’s ashes packed in her Ziploc bag, along with a rack of her designer clothes. It turns out that Cunningham was one of the most important men in her life before “The Housewives,” and she wants to “put his remains somewhere that matters and make this a really meaningful journey.” Ta.
The disappointment continued. Fellow housewife Kyle Richards said, “Let me wear a Birkin. That’s fine.” “But Ziploc? No.”
And then, during dinner, this gem spilled out of Erica Girardi’s tipsy mouth. wallet”
Worlds are truly colliding. Cunningham, who died in 2009 at the age of 90, is an unforgettable figure in dance history, but little known to the general public. “He’s a really big deal,” Stracke told his castmates. How big is it? Stracke described himself as the founder of modern dance.
Coach Girardi asked, “With Martha Graham and all of them?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Stracke.
“Twyla?” Mr. Girardi said, referring to Twyla Tharp. Girardi, who performs pop music as Erika Jayne, has worked with choreographer Mikey Minden for years, so she knows a thing or two.
“Twyla studied with him,” Strzok said.
“I got it,” Girardi said proudly. “that’s OK”
Cunningham and his partner, composer John Cage, believed that music and dance could exist independently. Cunningham also used chance strategies to determine the structure of the dance, such as rolling dice and using the I Ching. This “housewife” plotline is like rolling a pair of sixes. It seems completely unexpected.
Stracke, a feisty blonde with a Southern accent, is eccentric but perhaps the most serious of the Housewives. (My favorite non-Mars moment is when she sets a timer while shopping.) An aspiring dancer in her 20s, she worked at the Cunningham Dance Foundation in New York as a studio manager and then as a development associate. worked as a director. It was not uncommon for people around him to be handed small envelopes containing his ashes.
“Mars and I bonded right away,” Stracke said on the show. “I think he liked me as a dancer and liked my work ethic. And I went to his apartment and he cooked. I think he also liked how he watered the plants.”
Did Stracke, an American Ballet Theater executive, create Ashes to make Cunningham a little more famous?
Last summer, choreographer Sarah Michelson wrote, “Dear Merce Cunningham — Busy RN,” in response to Cunningham’s work depicting a plane pulling a banner over Rockaway Beach in Queens. “Is that so?” the response was. Now, the question is, “Dear Merce Cunningham — what is your RN thinking?” Would I regret having my ashes featured on Housewives? Is it interesting?
Maybe Stracke really just wants to spread the gospel of modern dance. Girardi’s work will also be celebrated. “I feel kind of like a loser for not knowing him,” she said. “Because I know a lot about Master Bob and Alvin Ailey and all the greats. So when I said to Mikey” — Choreographer Minden — “‘Who is Merce Cunningham? ?” He said, “Don’t you ever do that?” And I had my friend tested. ”
Mr. Stracke took the ashes to Sitges in Catalonia, explaining that this was one of the places where Cunningham’s theater company first performed in Europe. The group performed there in 1966, but by then they had been to Europe many times and had completed a world tour in 1964. anything. Trevor Carlson, former executive director of the Cunningham Dance Foundation, lives near Barcelona. He and Stracke are friends. He attended the housewives’ dinner and seeing Mars off.
When the day came to place the remains, Stracke was filled with emotion as she also thought about her father’s death and the breakdown of her marriage. “My life is over 20 years old and I’m starting to realize that I need to let go,” she said.
She chose a view overlooking the ocean. “Okay, let’s do it,” she told Carlson. She put her arm around his and threw her ashes into the water. There was a scream immediately. The housewives stood aside, but they were not safe. Mars was out of the bag and had spots on his dress, face, and hair.
“Sorry, girls!” Stracke yelled.
At one time, Girardi may have felt like a loser for not knowing who Cunningham was. Now she was angry. “I don’t know this man,” she said. “I don’t want to taste this man’s taste.”
Stracke was filled with joy. “Mars wasn’t mad at me at all,” she said. “He was known for his great leaps. He jumped over me and caught me. all On top of those girls! It was very good. “
Choreographically speaking, it was great. And just like Mars.