Merce Cunningham Dance

Thu., Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Fri. Feb. 29, 8 p.m., $30-$50, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-6701, pennpresents.org.

by Deni Kasrel

dance

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Randy Swartz, artistic director of the Annenberg Center's Dance Celebration series, compares choreographer Merce Cunningham to a fine wine: "He's aged extremely well. He produced much of his most compelling work later in life. I suspect that has something to do with that fact that the audience is sort of catching up with him. He's always challenging perceived notions." Cunningham gained early fame for works based on chance, where sequences changed from one performance to the next and could be determined by something as simple as a coin toss. Now nearly 89 years old, Cunningham hasn't stopped seeking out novel ways to approach movement. Take eyeSpace, at Annenberg this week, where the dance's musical accompaniment may be heard via iPods — bring your own or use one provided at the show — or, there's an entirely separate score projected through stage speakers. "Now you're part of the equation," comments Swartz. "It's going to be your experience and you have a choice in it. Mr. Cunningham is inviting you to be interactive." Equally, but differently involved with modern technology, is BIPED, where Cunningham works with a motion-capture camera and a computer. "His computer becomes his tool, his collaborator," Swartz says. "He's asking questions about how this adds to or changes people's perceptions of the creative process."

Thu., Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Fri. Feb. 29, 8 p.m., $30-$50, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-6701, pennpresents.org.