Merce Cunningham is old, and there’s no getting around that fact. At 86 years old, he is a physical shadow of his former self, unable to dance or even walk without a lot of assistance. “But if his body no longer wishes to do his bidding, his mind continues to inspire people who rightly regard him as the enemy of cliché and the champion of difference. The fact that one of America’s greatest universities has mounted its largest-ever interdisciplinary arts project under the title Encounter Merce bears eloquent witness to the potency of his influence… And who better to embody creativity in the arts than a man whose entire career has been devoted to taking the path less travelled by?”