Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY October 29, 2009 —A memorial for dancer, choreographer, and artist Merce Cunningham was held last night at the Park Avenue Armory. WNYC's Kathleen Horan has more:

REPORTER: Cunningham was considered at the forefront of the American avant garde, especially during the last half of the 20th century. So it should come as no surprise that there were no eulogies or remembrances, only the kind that could be translated through dance and music.

Dancers who had worked with him throughout his career performed his choreography, continuously on three different stages that weren't raised - but level with attendees. Trevor Carlson is Executive Director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company:

CARLSON: We didn't want to create a separation between the dance and the public so that people, all of us were together.

REPORTER: The memorial felt more like a "happening", with more than 2,000 people milling about, observing the performances, sipping wine and chatting quietly about the man many called by his first name. Their deep admiration for Merce Cunningham made the 55,000 square foot armory seem almost intimate. For WNYC, I'm Kathleen Horan.