Channels/Inserts (1981)

Overview

This work was a dance shot for film at the Cunningham studio. Staging for Channels/Inserts was divided among the main studio, the small studio and the office area. Cunningham employed the use of chance operations to decide the order in which each space would be used, whether action would occur in more than one location at a time, and how many dancers would be involved. The piece was divided into sixteen sections, each varying in length. One of the most striking sections began with a series of brief, masterfully executed solos for the men of the company, filmed in the main studio, followed by a shot of the women in the small studio, laughing and chatting amongst themselves, then back to the main studio for a second round of male solos. Music was composed by David Tudor, and costume design was by Charles Atlas.