Not a moment too soon is a multidisciplinary performance piece about a shared journey, the end of Merce Cunningham’s life in which he was gracefully accompanied by Trevor Carlson.

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In the winter of 2001, in his dressing room in Australia, Merce Cunningham states to his reflection in the mirror the line “not a moment too soon” while capturing himself on his personal camcorder. At this stage Merce was 79 years old. For three years prior, and for the next nine his hands had been held by his executive director and accomplice Trevor Carlson.

Cunningham, one of the greatest 20th century choreographers and who’s companion in life and most frequent collaborator was the revolutionary composer John Cage, who introduced Cunningham to eastern philosophies, is very telling as he made this statement. The quote “not a moment too soon” represents a life-long bond to eastern thinking that marked a dent into the tapestry of contemporary dance and which was, in that moment, also tapping into his last moments in life.

Not a moment too soon is a multidisciplinary performance piece about a shared journey, the end of Merce Cunningham’s life in which he was gracefully accompanied by Trevor Carlson. A memory of how year-by-year Cunningham continued creating new pieces until his last breath. A pilgrimage into a memory which uses audio-visual vehicles that transport us into the image and voice of Cunningham through unseen footage, tapes shot by Cunningham himself. Trevor, our guiding voice, embodies this passage and permits us a final entry into the last days of a master.

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Photos @Yoana Miguel

a production

Director & Choreographer
FERRAN CARVAJAL

Dramaturg
ALBERT TOLA

Video Creation
MIQUEL ÀNGEL RAIÓ

Composer
JAUME MANRESA

Wardrobe Design
ALEJANDRO ANDÚJAR

Photography (Cunningham’s Hands)
MARK SELIGER

Movement Coach
JOAN PALAU

Documentation – Making of
ELISABETH PRANDI, GUAYARMINA AMADOR & YOANA MIGUEL

Video Technician
TOMEU FIOL

Graphic Design
CAROL PÉREZ

Performer
TREVOR CARLSON

Texts by
TREVOR CARLSON & ALBERT TOLA

Set Designer
MAX GLAENZEL

Ligthing Design
MARÍA DOMÈNECH

Sculpture Design
CASEY CURRAN

Photography by
MARK SELIGER & THORUS ARTS

Assistant Director
OCTAVI DE LA IGLESIA

Technical Director
XAVIER SALAVERT

Operation Motion Graphics
ALEX ROMERO

Constructor
OSCAR HERNÁNDEZ POL

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Executive Producer
THORUS ARTS

Producer
ANABEL LABRADOR

Producers
Thorus Arts & Mercat de les Flors

Commissioners
Katherine Hayes, Mary Rice & Sutton Stracke

This Project is supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

Major Support Provided by
Sandra Cornelius, Kim Cullen & David Taylor, Nancy Dalva, Molly Davies, Carolina Nitsch, Judith Pisar, Pamela Schaeffer, Mark Seliger, & Holly Sidford

Additional Support by
El Graner & La Caldera

Special Thanks
Arnie Apostol, Bande à part, Brummell Hotel, Deborah Ceballos, Marta Filella, Kathleen Fluegal, Fractured Atlas, Santiago Latorre, the Team at Mercat de les Flors, Merce Cunningham Trust, Marta Oliveres, David Quinn, Toni Racklin, Kevin Taylor and very special thanks to Laura Kuhn

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The videos of Merce Cunningham; held in a private collection in New York, and generously made available without restriction.

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Dedicated to the memory of Albert Sanagustín.

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Tax-deductible donations to Thorus Arts can be made via Fractured Atlas .