Merle Marsicano

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Merle Marsicano (née Petersen, 1903–1983)[1] was an American dancer and choreographer who worked with a wide range of avant-garde composers and artists.

Life[edit]

Marsicano was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied ballet with Ethel Phillips and Michael Mordkin, tap dance with Edna Wroe, and modern dance with Martha Graham and Ruth St. Denis.[2] She was married to painter Nicholas Marsicano.[3]

Career[edit]

In 1962, Marsicano formed the Merle Marsicano Dance Company[4] and was frequently associated with the Tenth Street group of abstract expressionists. Franz Kline painted a backdrop for her work Queen of Hearts (1960),[5] the largest painting in Kline's oeuvre .[6]

She collaborated with John Cage, Morton Feldman, Stefan Wolpe and many other composers. Feldman composed several pieces including Figure of Memory[7] and Dance Suite for Marsicano. Figure of Memory was first performed at the Henry Street Playhouse in New York on April 3,1954, by Marsicano.[8]

In 1970, New York Times critic Don McDonagh wrote that Marsicano's choreography had a "languorous sensuousness," with the "weight and feel of a satisfying stretch."[9] In a 1977 review, he wrote that, "Almost always, one has the impression that the works are somehow independent of the rhythmic and spatial laws that ordinarily govern dancing."[10]

In The International Encyclopedia of Dance, P. W. Manchester described her dancing style:

Marsicano made no use of floor movements; she neither jumped nor turned. Instead, she made time stand still as she wove patterns with her feet, a subtly flexible torso, and eloquent arms. She seemed to will the air to become heavy or weightless as she passed through it.[2]

Richard Kostelanetz wrote, "Merle Marsicano has long had a reputation among the cognoscenti as one of the most imaginative choreographers."[11]

Marsicano taught at Smith College [8] [12] and Yale University, where she also presented a recital in collaboration with John Cage.[13] Her papers are housed in the collection of the New York Public Library.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Merle Marsicano papers". New York Public Library.
  2. ^ a b Manchester, P. W. (1998). The International Encyclopedia of Dance. Oxford University Press.
  3. ^ McLaughlin, Lillian (1963-06-14). "VIsiting artist at center shows bold, vigorous style". Des Moines Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  4. ^ Pavlakis, Christopher (1974). The American Music Handbook. Free Press.
  5. ^ Raynor, Vivien (1983-07-17). "ART; ART AND DANCE IN COLLABORATION". New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  6. ^ Gaugh, Harry F. (1979). Franz Kline: The Color Abstractions. Phillips Collection.
  7. ^ Dohoney, Ryan (1029). "Élan vital … and how to fake it: Morton Feldman and Merle Marsicano's Vernacular Metaphysics". Contemporary Music Review. 38 (3). doi:10.17613/phv6-zw66.
  8. ^ a b McDonagh, Don (1976). The Complete Guide to Modern Dance. Doubleday.
  9. ^ McDonagh, Don (1970-03-31). "Merle Marsicano offers new dances". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  10. ^ McDonagh, Don (1977-06-14). "Dance:Unhurried Sense of Time". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  11. ^ Kostelanetz, Richard (1994). On Innovative Performance(s): Three Decades of Recollections on Alternative Theater. McFarland & Company.
  12. ^ Dimension, College of Architecture and Design, University of Michigan, 1955.
  13. ^ "Dancer Joins Art School". The New York Times. New York, NY. 1953-09-11.
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