Studio Training Programs

Merce Cunningham Studio is an accredited institutional member

of the National Association of Schools of Dance. The Studio continues to be the source of Cunningham dance technique at the professional level, providing

dancers with an ongoing experience in learning to see, understand, and explore movement. The outstanding

faculty has expanded to include past and present members of MCDC and other qualified teachers. The diverse student body includes American and international dancers, drawn together by common interest in Merce Cunningham's groundbreaking ideas about dance.

In addition to Cunningham Technique classes offered daily through our Open Program, Merce Cunningham Studio offers two intensive professional-level training programs in Cunningham Technique: the Professional Training Program and the International Program. Students from each of the programs take classes together according to their level. Please review the specific requirement for each of our programs, and contact the Director of Education, Mary Lisa Burns, at marylisa@merce.org or 212.255.8240 x 32 to discuss your enrollment.

The 2010-11 Merce Cunningham Student Handbook is available online as HTML, or download and print the PDF version. Learn more in Student Handbook.

Class Levels


Four separate class levels, ranging from introduction to advanced, enable instructors to assign each student to the class level best suited to his or her own particular stage of development. At all levels the progress of each student is measured by the faculty; students progress at their own rate and advance accordingly with the permission of instructors. At each level, the technique exercises follow a similar format and stress the same principles. The work becomes increasingly demanding in terms of clarity of movement, strength, stamina and complexity.

Back Exercises is a class which teaches the fundamentals of the warm-up exercises, and the basic ideas of this technique. It is highly recommended for all dancers new to the Cunningham Studio.

Elementary level is for students new to the Studio who have had previous dance training. Students learn the exercises for the back, how to make changes of weight, and combinations of back positions and weight changes in moving phrases.

Intermediate level students learn more complex phrases. They are expected to have a strong sense of center and display clear shapes of movement.

Intermediate/Advanced classes are for advanced students who display mastery of intermediate-level objectives and are offered during times when the Merce Cunningham Dance Company is away on tour. See studio calendar to check when this class will be offered.

Advanced level is a class which maintains dancers at a professional level of proficiency. It is designed for professionals from dance companies, including Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and for students who demonstrate the required strength and ability and is open to students by invitation only.

Yoga promotes strength, flexibility, good posture, concentration and reduces stress. Specifically designed to complement Cunningham Technique, this class is led by former MCDC dancer Lisa Boudreau. All levels are welcome!

Students follow a course of study best suited to their needs and objectives by taking class through the Open Program, or enrolling in one of the following: Professional Training Program, or International Program.

Class Policies


• All students must begin at the Elementary Level.
• Students advance with the permission of the instructors.
• Class observers are welcome at the permission of the registrar.
• Latecomers will not be admitted to class.
• Attire: bare feet/socks, leotard, tights & formfitting dancewear
• Classes are not transferable or refundable.
• Learn more in the Student Handbook

Federal student financial assistance is available to eligible students and some scholarships are awarded through auditions held in the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. International Students may enroll as Exchange Visitors. In the evenings, the Studio is available for rental as a performance space.

Emergency Fund
for Student Dancers


Merce Cunningham Studio is a founding member of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers (efsdancers.org), a service organization formed in 1989 to provide emergency loan funds, and information about housing and health care, to full-time students enrolled in non-profit dance schools. Other members include: Alvin Ailey School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Limon Institute, Martha Graham School, and the School of the Houston Ballet. Benefit concerts featuring student and faculty choreography and  help raise money for the fund, which also receives donations from individuals and foundations. In addition, EFSD , in conjunction with the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, presents an annual half-day workshop on topics of injury prevention, person health and safety, and preparing for careers in the field of dance.

Take Class Today!

The Merce Cunningham Studio offers daily classes open to the

public. Click here for a detailed Studio calendar.

Open Program Rates                        

Registration (lifetime) $50
10 Class Card (5 weeks) $140
20 Class Card (10 weeks) $250
Single Class (registered students) $15
Single Class (non-registered) $17

Studio Schedule

Classes are held in the Merce Cunningham Studio, located at 55 Bethune Street in the West Village. The studio space occupies the entire eleventh floor of the Westbeth Artists' Housing Complex. Class schedule is listed by level. Click here for a detailed Studio calendar.

Yoga NEW CLASS! Taught by Lisa Boudreau
Tuesday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Feldenkreis NEW CLASS! Taught by Carol Teitelbaum
Thursday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Back Exercise Class
Wednesday 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM

Elementary
Monday through Friday 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Saturday 10:00 AM- 11:30 AM

Intermediate
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Saturday 11:30 AM- 1:00 PM

Intermediate/Advanced

Monday and Wednesday 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM*

Advanced (Permission Only- Company Class)
Monday and Wednesday 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM*

*When the Company is on tour, this class will be taught at  Int/Adv level. This will be indicated on the studio calendar.


Student Handbook

The 20010/11 Merce Cunningham Student Handbook is available online as HTML, or download and print the PDF version. Learn more in Student Handbook.

MARY LISA BURNS, Director of Education, has taught at the Merce Cunningham Studio since 1988. She has also taught at Barnard College since 1996, and has been a guest teacher at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, at Wesleyan College, the University of Texas at Austin and as part of the Isle de Danse Festival in Colombe, France. Her work has been presented at the Merce Cunningham Studio, Columbia University’s Miller Theater, Barnard College’s Minor Latham Playhouse, at Union College (Schenectady, NY), and the Cambridge Art Association (Cambridge, MA). A member of Kenneth King & Dancers for five years, Ms. Burns also performed in the companies and works of Brenda Daniels, Robert Kovich, Gina Gibney, Mitch Kirsch/Dogs in Space, Christopher Beck, the Reeves/Jones Performing Group and in the Tony Kushner/Ann Sullivan work, La Fin de la Baleine. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College, an M.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, a Certificate from the Merce Cunningham Studio, and a Certificate from the Dance Education Lab at the 92nd Street Y's Harkness Center.  In addition, she has studied Anatomy/Kinesiology with Irene Dowd and Alexander Technique and Pilates with Clarice Marshall. 212.255.8240 x32 marylisa@merce.org