Dance Umbrella, London’s annual festival of international dance, is renowned for producing outstanding works time and time again. Arguably, the most significant of these is 2011’s farewell to the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as they visit London for the last time as part of their Legacy Tour. Dance Umbrella has presented Cunningham’s work for over twenty years, with 2011 signalling the last time.

Before Cunningham’s death in 2009, the company agreed they would disband following a two year world tour, to be completed on New Year’s Eve in New York City. In a post-show discussion at the Barbican last night, Trevor Carlson, executive director, maintained that the decision was not one surrounded by financial burden, but that of a personal one. Cunningham had not wanted the company to continue under another name’s direction, but instead formed the legacy of the company, particularly through Dance Capsules in which his work can live on.

The tour began with Merce Circus on Saturday at Stratford Circus in East London for an intensive weekend. This provided audiences with the opportunity to interact with Cunningham’s work in addition to a performance of Squaregame (1976), an archive exhibition and film screenings, and the unique chance to take part in a Field Dances (1963) workshop, but without the Lycra unitards! Squaregame gave the evening a professional edge yet the company went on to open its arms to the audience, inviting them to step into the aesthetic of the Cunningham world. The installation at Stratford Circus epitomised Cunningham’s playfulness and curiosity that surrounded his entire career, questioning and modifying in the exploration of his processes.

The tour continues until Saturday, having transferred to the Barbican Centre with more formalised performances. One in particular, Roaratorio (1983), offers a further glimpse at Cunningham and his ethos in the Irish fiddling-esque soundtrack and unfaultable skill of the dancers, with alternative nights offering Pond Way (1998), Second Hand (1970), Antic Meet (1958), RainForest (1968) and BIPED (1999). Roaratorio is one of the most ambitious and large-scale Cunningham-Cage collaborations, presenting itself as a dance icon. Ironically, speaking of the future of the MCDC, Carlson advocated that the company would not be turned into a museum, but the chance to further engage with Cunningham’s work, including career-transition packages for the whole company. Roaratorio did not fail to impress, with an almost poignant stance held by all involved, a clear message of how influential Cunningham’s work continues to be.

A farewell for fans, and an insight into the treats Cunningham created throughout his entire career. To be present at such a significant event was an honour indeed, to witness live the company’s success, further demonstrated by the refusal of the audience to stop clapping during the curtain call. If this is not evidence for the universal success of MCDC, it is hard to specify what is, considering the profound influence Cunningham continues to hold over the dance world.