1963
June 25. Concert of Dance No. 8. Judson Memorial Church. Ensemble: MN, Malcolm Goldstein, Dick Higgins, Norma Marder, Elizabeth Munro, Arlene Rothlein, Beverly Schmidt, Vincent Wright, James Tenney. Work(s): Philip Corner, Flares: A Happening (1963). Program: Judith Dunn, Speedlimit (1963); Arlene Rothlein, Another Letter to the Sun (for Charles Ives). See Judson Memorial Church Archive, Series A: Arts, Subseries 2: Judson Dance Theater, Box 2, Folder 39
On June 25, 1963, Max Neuhaus participated in Concert of Dance No. 8 at the Judson Memorial Church in New York City, a pivotal site for the postmodern dance and "Happenings" movement [13].
Performance Highlights
- Neuhaus performed in the premiere of Philip Corner's Flares: A Happening (1963) [13]. As an indeterminate, multimedia work, Flares combined sound, movement, and visual elements, requiring the ensemble to respond to spontaneous cues [13].
- This performance featured an extraordinary cross-section of the 1963 avant-garde, including composers James Tenney and Malcolm Goldstein, Fluxus co-founder Dick Higgins, and dancers Arlene Rothlein and Beverly Schmidt [13].
- The evening also included Judith Dunn's Speedlimit and Arlene Rothlein's Another Letter to the Sun (a tribute to Charles Ives) [13].
Historical Significance
This event marks Neuhaus’s deep integration into the Judson Dance Theater circle. By 1963, he was moving beyond the role of a traditional percussionist to become a "realizer" of interdisciplinary works [13]. His collaboration here with James Tenney and Philip Corner is particularly notable, as both composers were exploring the physical and spatial properties of sound