Lent said the biggest challenge of the technique is balancing clarity with risk taking. For City Ballet principal Mearns, the Cunningham training has been revelatory.

The studio at Westbeth was filled with history, as the epicenter of Cunningham’s company and school from 1970 to 2012. But the history of the technique dates back further.

The Cunningham technique is demanding, rigorous and formalistic. But Self, who leads dance improv classes, also stresses an often-unnoticed characteristic to Cunningham’s work: its playfulness.