​Presented by VCA Dance and Design and Production

“In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Merce Cunningham's Ocean, VCA Dance and Design and Production presents an arrangement of excerpts of the original work together with a choreographic response developed by the students. The title Ocean comes from the suggestion by Joseph Campbell that the next work James Joyce would have written (after Finnegan's Wake) would be about water and the ocean. Cage’s idea was that the dance be presented in the centre of a circular space with the audience surrounding the dancers and both the audience and performers submerged in sound. The ocean is thus a potent symbol for redefining audience's relationship to the theatre.

The original music for Ocean was completed by Andrew Culver for 112-150 musicians and David Tudor, who developed an electronic score from underwater sounds. For this rearrangement, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music doctoral student and composer, Cameron Deyell worked alongside Melissa Toogood and Nicole Corea to create a sonic world that builds upon the original idea for the work using 21st century technologies. Drawing on the original concept by Merce Cunningham and John Cage, this event was made possible by the generous permission of the Merce Cunningham Trust.” (University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, 2024)

Thank you to Charles Atlas, Emma Diamond and Davison Scandrett who shared their experience of Ocean with the students.

Performed on 6-12 June 2024

Martyn Myer Arena, Southbank​

Ocean (1994) by Merce Cunningham © Merce Cunningham Trust. All rights reserved