Generative Art Timeline · Chapter 3: Analog Era (1950s)

1956

Suite for Five by Merce Cunningham

Artwork

Two dancers in yellow and blue leotards extend their legs and arms against a black stage.
Merce Cunningham, Suite for Five (1956–1958), performed by Derry Swan and Cédric Andrieux. Later performance photograph reproduced in the 2011 Festival d’Automne programme. Choreography: Merce Cunningham. Performers: Derry Swan and Cédric Andrieux. Photograph © Tony Dougherty, via Festival d’Automne à Paris. Image source.

A hugely important moment in Chance Dance and with a score by John Cage, Suite for Five is a Neo-Dada classic. According to the Art Story:

“Cunningham and Cage relied heavily upon chance in the creation of this work, citing that both the score and the choreography were determined by random operations like counting the imperfections in a piece of paper.”

Text by Peter Bauman. Generative Art Timeline, Le Random, fact-checked September 2026.

Sources

People

John Cage, Merce Cunningham

Movements

Chance Dance, Generative Choreography, Neo-Dada

Filed under

Ideas
chance, Chance Art, Chance Dance, choreography, dance, generative art, Generative Choreography, Generative Music, music, Neo-Dada, randomness
Technologies
chance procedures
People
John Cage, Merce Cunningham
Works
Suite for Five

Echoes across time

Le Random editorials

Explore all Le Random editorials and artist interviews

Le Random podcast