Anna Halprin was born July 13th, 1920 as Anna Schuman. She took on the name Halprin when she married Lawrence Halprin, a landscape architect. Together they founded the San Francisco Dancer’s Workshop in 1955. Merce Cunningham was born on April 16, 1919, his romantic partner was John Cage, who he began working with back in 1940’s. In 1953, together with John Cage, he founded the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Both Ann and Merce were highly awarded dancers prior to becoming Choreographers.
The most significant contribution to post- modern dance that Anna Halprin and Merce Cunningham shared was the same need to dismiss the emotional expressiveness of modern dance. Their