104 WORK WEEKS | ON TOUR WITH THE MERCE CUNNINGHAM DANCE COMPANY
THE CHALLENGE
Following the death of modern dance choreographer Merce Cunningham in 2009, his legendary dance company embarked on a final two-year world tour before disbanding. For the dancers, it was an extraordinary moment: honoring their mentor's legacy while confronting the uncertainty of their own futures.
Behind the grace and glamour of the stage was a working-class ethic built on discipline, physical sacrifice and the daily commitment to something greater than themselves. As the world struggled with the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, and millions faced the loss of their livelihoods, the dancers' experience reflected a broader anxiety about work, identity and what happens when the future becomes uncertain.
The challenge was to look beyond the performances and capture the dancers' way of life, revealing the humanity, work ethic and shared sense of purpose behind their extraordinary artistry.
THE WORK
Joining the Merce Cunningham Dance Company on its final Legacy Tour, the project took a documentary approach to the everyday realities of a dancer's life. Traveling with the dancers created an opportunity to observe the moments rarely seen by an audience, revealing the personalities, relationships and daily rituals behind their extraordinary performances.
Through drawing, painting and storytelling, 104 Work Weeks gave these experiences a life beyond the tour, bringing a deeply human perspective to a defining moment in dance history.
THE DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS
Hundreds of photographs taken while traveling with the company became the reference material for more than seventy drawings and twenty-two paintings. Quiet moments, celebrations, exhaustion and the demands of life on the road became the subjects of an evolving body of work.
Graphite allowed each composition to be shaped through light, atmosphere and selective detail, directing attention toward the emotional character of a moment.
The paintings expanded this visual language through acrylic, oil and collages of found paper and mementos collected throughout the tour, layering the dancers' experiences with traces of the places they traveled.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: DRAWING DANCE
To bring the dancers' stories to a wider audience, the project expanded into a weekly series pitched to The New York Times. Titled Drawing Dance, each installment paired an original drawing of a moment from the tour with a written account that provided context and included the dancers' own words.
Published over twenty-three weeks in the newspaper's ArtsBeat blog, the series created an ongoing narrative, inviting readers to follow the company through the ordinary and extraordinary moments of its final journey.
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THE PRESS & THE EXPANDING AUDIENCE
As the project developed, its perspective on the dancers' lives attracted attention beyond the dance community.
Coverage in arts and cultural publications explored the drawings and paintings, the documentary approach and the universal experiences reflected in the work.
“Like screen captures from a film, Parris’ work grants real-life moments in cinematic immortality with a flick of his pencil.
Like Caravaggio before him, Parris is a master of two dimensional cinematic lighting, which lends an undeniable sense of drama to the mundane.”
— Susan Keefe, featured in Trend Hunter Art & Design
The growing coverage introduced new audiences to the project and helped extend the 104 Work Weeks story beyond the Performances.
“Brooklyn artist Kenneth E. Parris III has been traveling with the Merce Cunninghm Dance Company on its final 50-city world tour.”
— Peter Trippi
“There’s something fascinating about the analog nature of drawing in this age of digital photography: It seems more expressive and also more anachronistic.”
— Paul Schmelzer
“Not unlike a war correspondent, Kenneth E. Parris III brings the audience visceral snapshots of life on the front lines of professional dance in painstaking detail. Now, you too can live the life of a professional dancer without completing a single pirouette.”
— Susan Keefe
“The Artist Kenneth E. Parris III is doing something cool; he's touring with members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and sketching them, where they’re posted on The New York Times’ ArtsBeat blog.”
— Kate Dries
“Dibujando a Merce Cunningham: Un artista de Nueva York documenta en dibujos la gira final de la compañía de uno de los genios de la danza”
— Manuel Cuéllar
“Parris’ sketches truly depict the raw emotion off stage that Cunningham became so famous for creating on stage. His sketches embody the myriad of emotions that performers face, along with the deep connection that comes with being a part of a team.”
— Alison Kjeldgaard
THE EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS
As the collection grew, 104 Work Weeks moved from the page into galleries and live experiences. Exhibitions in New York, Houston, Philadelphia and at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival brought audiences face-to-face with the dancers' stories.
“Dancers' lives: Exhibit explores moments off stage”
— Theodore Bale
At Houston's G Gallery, an exhibition opening became a live performance featuring former Cunningham dancers Melissa Toogood and Marcie Munnerlyn, accompanied by a sound score created by musician Jeff Klein. The collaboration brought movement, music and visual art together, creating another way to experience the work.
“…one of the most arresting dance performances of the season took place at an art gallery”
— Nancy Wozny
THE MERCE CUNNINGHAM CENTENNIAL
Years after the company's final performance, 104 Work Weeks became part of the international celebration marking the centennial of Merce Cunningham's birth.
At New York's 92nd Street Y, a Harkness Dance Festival conversation brought together Parris and former company members Melissa Toogood, Douglas Dunn, Kimberly Bartosik, and Dylan Crossman to share the dancers' experiences through art and personal recollections.
At the 2019 Vail Dance Festival, the work appeared in exhibitions and outdoor installations throughout Vail Village, introducing the project to another generation of audiences.
A Festival Forum featured on the Conversations on Dance podcast extended that dialogue beyond the festival, offering a deeper understanding of the personal experiences and relationships behind 104 Work Weeks.
THE IMPACT
Preserving the fleeting moment through portraits of human experience.
What began as an intimate observation of life beyond the stage evolved into a body of work that contributed a distinctly human perspective to the cultural legacy of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
Through drawing, painting, journalism, and exhibitions, 104 Work Weeks: On Tour With The Merce Cunningham Dance Company transformed passing moments into enduring experiences, inviting audiences to see beyond the extraordinary artistry of the dancers and recognize something of themselves in their lives.
The work extends beyond documenting dance history, contributing to how that history is experienced, understood, and remembered.