Merce Cunningham, 1919-2009

Innovation
Cunningham famously choreographed by chance, sometimes by the toss of a coin. Indeed, he preserved the appearance of randomness in his art — even though the "randomness" was carefully staged. Still, it could be bewildering to some, as TIME noted in 1960: "Disembodied arms may project from behind curtains to serve as coatracks; the dancers may suddenly suspend all motion to stand fiercely washing their hands; the hero, dressed in a multicolored coat, may roll about grunting like a pig or baying like a hound." Cunningham would innovate with digital works like "Biped" into the 21st century.

• TIME's 1960 story on Cunningham