Join Play House Labs and arts writer and curator Matthew Piper for a free screening of Split Sides 45 and Split Sides 46 (2009), two films by Charles Atlas that document Merce Cunningham's 2003 dance Split Sides.

Cunningham (1919-2009), one of America's most original and influential choreographers, was well known for his embrace of technology and use of chance operations to guide his creative process. His chance-based approach is nowhere more evident than in the two-part Split Sides, where pre-performance dice rolls determined which of two choreographies, sets, costumes, lighting designs, and pieces of music were to be combined live in which order, yielding 32 possible variations of the “same” dance. (Atlas' films document two versions, the 45th and 46th performances, respectively.) In addition to its elaborate conceptual architecture, spellbinding choreography, and minimalist sci-fi aesthetic, Split Sides is notable for its richly emotive score, comprised of original electroacoustic music by art rock stars Sigur Rós and Radiohead.

Free!