Cunningham was born on April 16, 1919, in Centralia, Washington. At the age of twelve, Cunningham became interested in dance and started informal instruction. Upon graduation from high school, Cunningham began his formal dance instruction at the Cornish School of Fine and Applied Arts. After two years at the Cornish School, he studied at Mills College and at Bennington College; this is where he was invited to join Martha Graham's dance company in 1939. Graham was an incredible dancer who also choreographed during her career. While dancing for Graham, Cunningham began to make a name for himself in the dancing community. It was with Graham's encouragement that Cunningham started to choreograph on his own. His decision to start choreographing can be looked at as one of the most important decisions in the history of dance.

With the encouragement of John Cage, a composer,

Cunningham has been honored with many awards during his storied career as a dancer and as a choreographer. In September of 1990, at a ceremony at the White House, President Bush honored Cunningham by presenting him with the National Medal of Arts. Various groups and countries around the world have honored Cunningham for his contributions to the arts.

Cunningham left Martha Graham's Dance Company in 1945 to pursue a fulltime partnership with Cage. The two men would go on to have a very storied career. On the night of April 6, 1944, at the Humphrey Weidman Studio, Cunningham and Cage performed their first solo recital. In attendance that night was acclaimed dance critic, Edwin Denby. "When he was actively reviewing, Edwin Denby was this country's most respected critic of the dance"(Klosty 215). Cunningham's first performance captured Denby from the very beginning with Cunningham's amazing steps, runs, and knee bends and he described them as "brilliant in lightness and speed." Denby was also impressed by Cunningham's gifts as a lyric dancer. Denby's first review of Cunningham helped launch his career forward. Denby ended his review of Cunningham's first solo performance by saying "I have never seen a first solo recital that combined such taste, such technical finish, such originality of dance material, and so sure a manner of presentation."

Traditional stage space was even something that Cunningham had abandoned. Since the Renaissance Period, the center of the stage had always been the "center of gravity"(Klosty 12). Klosty compared the stage to a class society where the center of the stage was regal, where the soloist should appear, and the outskirts of the stage were for the leftovers. However, Cunningham refused to use this stage setup in his dances. The best spot on the floor could be anywhere at any given time. Cunningham's use of space relationship has made his dances seem to be overflowing with action. Events in the dance would happen in one corner of the stage only to be followed up by the next main section in the opposite corner of the stage. Other people had not implemented this type of chor

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