1st Student's Major
Theatre and Dance
1st Student's College
Arts and Humanities
Students' Professional Biography
Janelle Morrison is a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato working on her Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education and Dance Education. She received her high school diploma from Austin High in Austin Minnesota. Janelle is currently an active member in the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. She also is a participant in the Undergraduate Distinguished Scholar program and will receive an award for her accomplishments in this program in May of 2006. In the future she would like to continue her training in music and dance in a masters program.
Mentor's Name
Julie Kerr-Berry
Mentor's Email Address
julie.kerr-berry@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Theatre and Dance
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Abstract
Minimalism is movement in both the visual and performing arts that strive to focus attention on the subject as an object, reducing its historical and expressive content to a bare minimum or art without meaning. John Cage’s music stems from the idea of minimalism and expands itself into what he calls “indeterminacy.” Indeterminacy means that chance operations will produce the score and performer’s choices. Through Cage’s study of Zen he learned about The Book of Change, I Ching. Using his charts, based on this book and the toss of three coins, Cage could layout the format of his compositions. Merce Cunningham’s choreography explores the use of repetition and chance. Cunningham also used the I Ching that was passed along by Cage. He also used many other forms of choreography such as everyday movements that an untrained dancer could do, in addition to dance movements and some movements, he devised himself(Kostelanetz, 48). This opened up a whole new world of exploration. The collaboration of Merce Cunningham and John Cage brings together two art forms using minimalism and indeterminacy. Music and dance are correlated in many ways although the arts are not always studied together. This project gave me a chance to combine both my music and dance studies into one art form.
Recommended Citation
Morrison, Janelle M.
(2005)
"The Effects of Minimalism/Indeterminacy on the Merce Cunningham and John Cage Collaboration,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: Vol. 5, Article 18.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1147
Available at:
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol5/iss1/18
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