Merce Cunningham dies

On Sunday, in his Manhattan home, Merce Cunningham, revolutionary dancer and choreographer, passed away at 90 years of age. The San Francisco Chronicle reported news of the dancer's passing, which was marked in the dance community. Cal Performances Director Robert Cole called Cunningham, "the most important modern dance choreographer of our time." Cunningham is known for creating dances of solely movement, that were unrelated to story, and sometimes even divorced from music. Using his new methods, which included rolling dice to determine steps and breaking many of the traditional "rules" of dancing, Cunningham created a career which spanned 60 years and came to include over 150 pieces. In his later years, despite being confined to a wheelchair, Cunningham continued to be an avid and productive artist. Recently, in April, he premiered a piece, "Ninety ninety" which used music from Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Sonic Youth and Japanese composer Takehisa Kosugi.