Berlin’s Dance On Ensemble recreates and responds to an iconic work by Merce Cunningham

Story, a Re-Imagining

Originally choreographed in 1963, Merce Cunningham’s Story was never the same show twice.

The dancers were able to make choices about their movements, while a new set was constructed for each performance using material found in or near the theatre.

Now Dance On Ensemble draws from limited archival materials to re-imagine the piece for a new generation. What shape will the work take as it finds itself in the Lilian Baylis Studio?

Never ending (Story)

As a further exploration of Cunningham’s Story, Dance On Ensemble asked poet David Antin to respond to the work with an improvised poem. This poem is the starting point for Mathilde Monnier’s piece that explores how movement and thought come together.

This piece is rooted in stories. Stories about structure, rhythm, feelings and repetitions. Stories about the dance you will witness on stage.

Watch as Dance On bring together speech, thought and dance in a way that shows they’re closer entwined than you might assume.

Berlin-based Dance On Ensemble brings together dancers over the age of 40 with internationally renowned choreographers to create work that presents their diverse and rich lived experience on stage.

Image description: Five dancers stand separately on a white floor with a black background. They are each in a different pose with arms out and legs wide. It’s as if they have been photographed whilst moving. They are wearing comfortable clothes in orange, green, grey and beige colours.