Petition Tag - cunningham

Ha habido demasiado dialogo internacional con respecto al futuro de la Merce Cunningham Dance Company (Compañía de Danza Merce Cunningham). Nosotros, estudiantes actuales del Merce Cunningham Studio (Estudio Merce Cunningham), estamos interesados en extender esta discusión incluyendo el futuro de nuestra escuela y la preservación de la Técnica Cunningham.

Iniciamos nuestra búsqueda al acceder de forma cibernética a documentos que se hicieron públicos por la Cunningham Dance Foundation (Fundación de Danza Cunningham), donde se anuncia el Legacy Plan (Plan del legado). A lo largo de este ultimo año el 25% de las clases de Técnica Cunningham ha sido recortado del cronograma escolar. Se nos ha informado extraoficialmente que es probable que no tengamos la posibilidad de concluir nuestros programas de entrenamiento profesionales y obtener la correspondiente certificación celebrando los años de estudio. Esto nos ha dado una sólida razón para creer que el Estudio cerrara sus puertas luego de que la Foundation lo haga. A partir de discusiones entre los estudiantes, hemos llegado a comprender que hay algo mayor en juego que simplemente la realización de nuestras clases, y es el legado artístico de Merce Cunningham.

Escribimos este petitorio para articular nuestro sueño del Merce Cunningham Center que continuara con los programas y preservara el basto legado artístico del Sr. Cunningham en el estudio donde ha creado mas de 80 trabajos. Como un grupo de estudiantes, no tenemos la capacidad organizativa para generar fondos. Esperamos que este petitorio demuestre que hay un contundente apoyo publico por un Centro e inspire al Merce Cunningham Trust a tomar acciones inmediatas de reunir fondos, organizar y crear esta importante institución cultural. Apoyaremos de forma entusiasta al Merce Cunningham Trust en todos sus esfuerzos de concretar estos planes.

Nuestro pedido
Pedimos respetuosamente al Fondo Merce Cunningham establecer el Centro Merce Cunningham como el primer centro de estudios de la Técnica Cunningham y su Repertorio. El centro se encontrara ubicado en el piso 11 del edificio Westbeth (55 Bethune Street, New York City, NY- USA) abarcando los estudios donde Merce Cunningham creo su trabajo y los espacios en donde la compañía ha ensayado por mas de 40 años. El Centro será una expansión del actual Merce Cunningham Studio y ofrecerá los siguientes programas:

1. Open Program (Programa Abierto) - un cronograma completo de clases diarias de Técnica Cunningham en todos los niveles.
2. International Program and Professional Training Program (Programa Internacional y Programa Profesional de Entrenamiento) - El Centro continuara ofreciendo programas profesionales para bailarines de todo el país y el mundo, para acercarse y estudiar Técnica Cunningham y Repertorio.
3. Educational Outreach Program (Programa Educativo de Extensión) - El Centro continuara ofreciendo clases y muestras de repertorio para niños de escuelas publicas enseñándoles sobre Merce Cunningham y su trabajo.
4. Repertory Ensemble (Ensamble de Repertorio) - Un grupo pequeño de bailarines estará dedicado a investigar y reponer el Repertorio de Cunningham.
5. Research Institute and Exhibition Gallery (Instituto de investigación y Galería de Exhibición) - El Centro funcionara como un sitio central para académicos para acercarse y estudiar la vida y obra de Merce Cunningham. El espacio Galería podría ser creado para mostrar exhibiciones en préstamo de los Archivos Cunningham en la New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (Biblioteca Publica de New York para las Artes Performaticas en Lincoln Center).

Conforme a la aplicación anual para organizaciones caritativas junto con el NYS Office of the Attorney General, La Oficina de Organizaciones de Beneficencia, en el 8 de Mayo de 2009, las actividades del Merce Cunningham Trust son las de “promover la educación y el desarrollo artístico en el campo de la danza moderna a través de la instrucción y la presentación de trabajos coreografiados por Merce Cunningham.” Solicitamos al Trust actuar esta vez para realizar los preparativos para el Merce Cunningham Center como un modo de concretar esta parte importante de su misión.

Nuestra Visión: El Merce Cunningham Center
Creemos que la Técnica Cunningham es una de las mas importantes contribuciones que Merce Cunningham ha hecho al mundo de la danza moderna. Aprender los fundamentos y las características especificas de la técnica es un proceso en curso que lleva años de practica diaria con maestros capacitados y experimentados. El Merce Cunningham Studio, como un miembro institucional acreditado de la National Association of Schools of Dance (Asociación Nacional de Escuelas de Danza), es actualmente reconocido como la principal escuela para instruirse en este demandante estudio. El cuerpo de profesores del Estudio esta compuesto por algunos de los mas reconocidos bailarines de la Merce Cunningham Dance Company e instructores entrenados personalmente por Merce en su metodología de enseñanza. Estudiantes acuden de todas partes del mundo para estudiar en la escuela y llevar sus conocimientos y experiencia de primera mano de la Técnica Cunningham de regreso a sus países de origen. El espacio Estudio en Westbeth es una pieza central de la experiencia del entrenamiento. Las dimensiones y el carácter expansivo del estudio permiten el uso dinámico del espacio, central para la técnica. Es a su vez un honor el estudiar dentro del espacio donde la compañía bailo por tantos años. Esta institución históricamente invaluable necesita continuar para que futuras generaciones de bailarines, corógrafos, maestros y miembros de la comunidad puedan aprender al respecto y transformarse por la Técnica Cunningham.

Crear el Merce Cunningham Center seria una manera atractiva de re-imaginar el Estudio, para incorporar todos los aspectos del legado de Merce Cunningham. Exhibiciones en préstamo de los Archivos Cunningham en la New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, podría explorar temas tales como las colaboraciones de Merce Cunningham con las artes visuales o su innovador uso de diversos medios tecnológicos. Libros y material de investigación sobre Merce Cunningham y sus colaboradores artísticos se encontrarían disponibles al acceso o compra de estudiantes y visitantes. Se crearían asociaciones con las principales universidades para patrocinar residencias académicas en el Centro. Expandiendo los actuales programas de entrenamiento de maestros y programas educativos de extensión se continuaría generando interés en el trabajo de Cunningham mas allá del rango de la comunidad de la danza y dentro de una amplia esfera publica.

El Ensamble de Repertorio será una parte esencial del Merce Cunningham Center. La oportunidad de aprender y representar repertorio es una fuerte iniciativa para estudiantes altamente talentosos para inscribirse en la escuela y comprometerse a los años de duro trabajo que se requieren para alcanzar habilidad técnica y artística en la Técnica Cunningham. Establecer un Ensamble de Repertorio es también necesario para la preservación del trabajo de Cunningham en la forma mas autentica. Este ensamble será el único grupo en el mundo compuesto por bailarines entrenados en el riguroso sistema de entrenamiento Cunningham, representando regularmente repertorio. La danza es una forma de arte que es mejor conservada al ser pasada de generación en generación a través de una línea directa de contacto con la fuente creativa. Aprender del video es un reemplazo precario de años de interacción personal con los maestros y los miembros originales de la compañía. El Ensamble de Repertorio estaría comprometido a aprender la Técnica Cunningham y Repertorio por las personas mas cercanas a Merce Cunningham y de transmitir este legado a la siguiente generación.

Merce Cunningham fue citado en el New York Times el 11 de Junio de 2009: El Sr. Cunningham añadió que el puede aceptar al futuro de la compañía cerrando. “entonces si se termina, se termina”, dijo, “Yo ya no voy a estar presente. Yo no voy a decir que si o que no” luego ofreció otra posibilidad. “En lo que a mi me concierne”, dijo, “si cierran a la presente compañía, pueden empezar a construir algo mas”.

Es tiempo de “empezar a construir algo mas”. El Merce Cunningham Center será el adecuado tributo a uno de los corógrafos mas grandes de todos los tiempos. El Merce Cunningham Center será el único lugar en el mundo donde todos serán bienvenidos a explorar, experimentar y celebrar la vida y el trabajo de Merce Cunningham.

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There has been much international dialogue concerning the future of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. We, the current students at the Merce Cunningham Studio, are interested in extending this discussion to include the future of our school and the preservation of Cunningham Technique.

We began our research by accessing online documents that were made public by the Cunningham Dance Foundation when they announced the Legacy Plan. From these sources we have determined that the fate of the Studio will be decided by the Merce Cunningham Trust. Over the past year, 25% of Cunningham Technique classes have been cut from the school schedule. We have been told that we may not have the opportunity to finish our professional training programs and earn certificates celebrating our years of study. This has given us strong reason to believe that the Studio will close after the Cunningham Dance Foundation closes. From discussions between students, we came to realize that there is something larger at stake then just the fate of our classes and that is the artistic legacy of Merce Cunningham.

We wrote this petition to articulate our dream of a Merce Cunningham Center that would continue our programs and preserve the full artistic legacy of Mr. Cunningham in the studio where he created over eighty works. As a group of students, we do not have the organizational capacity to fundraise. We hope this petition will show that there is overwhelming public support for a center and inspire the Trust to take immediate action to fundraise, organize, and create this important cultural institution. We would enthusiastically support the Trust in all efforts to realize these plans.

Our Request
We respectfully petition the Merce Cunningham Trust to establish the Merce Cunningham Center as the premier center for the study of Cunningham Technique and Repertory. The Center would be located on the 11th floor of Westbeth encompassing the studios in which Merce Cunningham created his work and the rooms in which the company has rehearsed for over forty years. The Center would be an expansion of the current Merce Cunningham Studio and offer the following programs:

1. Open Program - A full schedule of daily Cunningham Technique classes in all levels.
2. International Program and Professional Training Program - The Center would continue to offer professional programs for dancers from all over the country and the world to come and study Cunningham Technique and Repertory.
3. Teacher Training Program - Workshops and an intensive year-long program would offer certification to teach Cunningham Technique.
4. Educational Outreach Program - The Center would continue to offer classes and repertory showings for public school children to learn about Merce Cunningham and his work.
5. Repertory Ensemble - A small group of dancers would be dedicated to investigating and restaging Cunningham Repertory.
6. Research Institute and Exhibition Gallery - The Center would serve as a central location for scholars to come and study the life and work of Merce Cunningham. Gallery space could be created to show exhibitions on loan from the Cunningham Archives at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

According to its Annual Filing for Charitable Organizations with the NYS Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, on May 8, 2009, the activities of the Merce Cunningham Trust are "to promote education and artistic development in the field of modern dance through instruction and performance of works choreographed by Merce Cunningham." We ask the Trust to act now to make preparations for the Merce Cunningham Center as a way to fulfill this important part of their mission.

Our Vision: The Merce Cunningham Center
We believe the Cunningham Technique is one of the most important contributions Merce Cunningham made to the world of modern dance. Learning the fundamentals and specifics of the technique is an ongoing process that takes years of daily practice with qualified and experienced teachers. The Merce Cunningham Studio, as an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance, is currently recognized as the premier school for engaging in this demanding study. The faculty at the studio is comprised of some of the most celebrated dancers from the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and instructors personally trained by Merce in his teaching methodology. Students come from all over the world to study at the school and bring their knowledge and firsthand experience of Cunningham Technique back to their home countries. The studio space in Westbeth is a centerpiece of the training experience. The sheer size and expansive nature of the studio enable the dynamic use of space central to the technique. It is also an honor to study within the space that the company danced in for so many years. This historically invaluable institution needs to be continued so that future generations of dancers, choreographers, teachers, and community members can learn about and be transformed by Cunningham Technique.

Creating the Merce Cunningham Center would be an engaging way to re-envision the Studio to incorporate all aspects of Merce Cunningham's legacy. Exhibitions on loan from the Cunningham Archives at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center could explore such topics as Merce Cunningham's collaborations with visual artists or his groundbreaking use of various forms of technology. Books and research material about Merce Cunningham and his artistic collaborators could be available for students and visitors to access or purchase. Partnerships could be formed with major universities to sponsor academic residencies at the Center. Expanding the current teacher training programs and educational outreach programs would continue to ignite interest in Cunningham's work beyond the range of the dance community and into a wider public sphere.

A Repertory Ensemble would be an essential part of the Merce Cunningham Center. The opportunity to learn and perform repertory is a strong incentive for highly talented students to enroll in the school and commit to the years of hard work it takes to achieve technical and artistic proficiency in the Cunningham Technique. Establishing a Repertory Ensemble is also necessary for the preservation of Cunningham's work in its most authentic form. Such an ensemble would be the only group in the world comprised of dancers trained in the rigorous Cunningham training system regularly performing the repertory. Dance is an art form that survives best when passed from generation to generation via a direct line of contact with the creative source. Learning from video is a poor replacement for years of personal interaction with teachers and former company members. A Repertory Ensemble would be committed to learning Cunningham Technique and Repertory from the people closest to Merce Cunningham and to pass this legacy on to the next generation.

Merce Cunningham was quoted in the New York Times on June 11, 2009: Mr. Cunningham added that he can accept the company's future closing. "So if it stops, then it stops," he said. "I won't be around. I'm not going to say yes or no." Then he offered another possibility. "As far as I'm concerned," he said, "if they close the present company down, they can start building something else."

Its time to "start building something else." The Merce Cunningham Center would be a fitting tribute to one of the greatest choreographers of all time. The Center would be the one place in the world welcoming all people to explore, experience, and celebrate the life and work of Merce Cunningham.

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A Scottish Clan without a chief is like a fish without water. For 200 years Clan Cunningham has been without a chief to lead us since the death of the last chief in 1796.

Fortunately the last four chiefs were unified in their designation of a female line as heirs should their male-heir line fail, and we have found the eldest descendant of that line.

Therefore it it time to have him recognized by the Crown through Lord Lyon and take the leadership in Clan Cunningham.

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I have started this petition, due to the fact that the vast majority of the recipes contained within this "book" come from (or are barely alterations of) Cunningham's work, and the "secret" to "always stir clockwise" also comes directly from Cunningham's "The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews" in which he also gives advice on "buying, storing & blending essential oils" as a trained aromatherapist. What can also be found in this book, verbatum, are Cunningham's "Tables for Magickal Substitution", and several recipes from from Laurie Cabot's work, among others. One such glaring example was what Marilyn titles "Organic Love Potions". She states: "Combine any 3 of the following ingrednients in 1 cup of water: apples, cloves, cinnamon, lovage-root powder, yarrow flowers, strawberry oil, patchouli Oil, or musk oil." This exact recipe can be found in Laurie Cabot's book "Power Of The Witch", thusly (published more than a decade prior), "A bewitching, organic, perfume starts with herbs and spices. Simmer any three of the following ingredients in a cup or two of spring water with a tablespoon of sea salt: apples, cloves, cinnamon, lovage-root powder, yarrow flowers, strawberry oil, patchouli Oil, or musk oil." And, no credit is given to any of the authors for their own creative genius. In fact, Marilyn doesn't include the use of sea salt in her publication, which isn't wise by any means, due to the fact that Laurie adds sea salt to her water-based potions as a preservative!

So, as unkind as it may sound, this is a work of pure plagiarism. In fact, I owned my copy for a total of 15 minutes. Until I gave this book a closer look. Needless to say, I returned it for a prompt refund, stating exactly why, to the management. I also saw many of the Farrar's recipes included, as well. In another of Cunningham's books, he lists a variety of ingredients associated with each directional wind, like lavender, for the East Wind, as an example. Well, this very table was also included in Marilyn's big orange book, for goodness sake! So, I certainly wouldn't waste almost $30 for other authors' work, when they are not given credit. Especially when I happen to own the originals, anyway (which are oftimes touted as "classics").

Cunningham's famous "Table of magickal substitutions" is also included! What's more, whereas Cunningham detailed how one might go about choosing a substitution, Mariylyn does not, leaving the reader to pick at them will-nilly without a real grasp at why! And, this author calls herself a "Wiccan HPs"??? I am at a loss for words, here, I'm afraid. I am very disappointed. In fact, I kindy E-Mailed the publisher (as well as several Pagan owned/operated businesses who were selling this book) to make them aware of what I'd personally wittnessed. None of them so much as offered me the decency of a reply.

According to the US Copyright Office, "Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, where a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection." Which, of course, means that Marilyn is in violation of Copyright infringment, most likely! And, like another reviewer for Amazon.Com, I am equally surprised that a reputable firm such as Weiser would allow such a thing to slip by them.

So, I am personally E-Mailing the authors' publisher with regards to this book, such as Llewellyn and Pheonix Publications and Laurie Cabot's publisher. If you would like to see these authors credited for their works, and recieve the money due to them and their publisher, I strongly suggest that you adopt similar actions!

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