Creative choice – on whose authority

This article considers issues of legacy and tradition alongside the impact of choice on the choreographic processes involved in restaging modern/contemporary works by Merce Cunningham, Jose Limón and Doris Humphrey. The work of these three choreographers represents a cross-section of staging practices that have evolved over time as a response to the absence of the choreographer. The relevance of these practices in a broader context is that they demonstrate possibilities for choreographers working today whose work is significant to our cultural heritage.