SoundScape Cinema Series: Cunningham

The life and work of groundbreaking choreographer Merce Cunningham take center stage during an outdoor screening at SoundScape Park.

SoundScape Cinema Series: Cunningham takes place Wednesday, May 20. Directed by Alla Kovgan, the 2019 documentary traces the first three decades of Cunningham’s career, examining how his radical approach to movement reshaped contemporary dance. The film draws on archival footage, interviews and newly filmed performances to explore his collaborations with artists such as composer John Cage and his embrace of chance procedures, spatial independence and non-narrative structure.

Rather than following a conventional biographical arc, the documentary places viewers inside Cunningham’s artistic process, emphasizing how experimentation, music and visual art intersected to redefine choreography in the 20th century. The result is both a historical record and an experiential portrait of an artist whose influence extends well beyond the dance world.

The screening is part of the City of Miami Beach’s SoundScape Cinema Series and begins at 8 p.m. Admission is free with no ticket required. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating on the lawn and enjoy the film on the New World Center’s large-scale outdoor projection wall.