Trisha Brown Company

Trisha Brown Company Trisha Brown Company was an American contemporary dance company founded by Trisha Brown in 1970 in New York City. The company emerged from the milieu of Judson Dance Theater, intersecting with artists from Fluxus, Minimalism (music), Postmodern dance and the downtown art scene of SoHo, Manhattan. Over four decades the company produced repertory performed at venues such as Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall and international festivals including Festival d'Avignon and Salzburg Festival.

History

The company's origins trace to the experimental performances associated with Judson Dance Theater and collaborators from institutions like School of American Ballet, New York University, and Yale School of Drama. Early touring and residencies connected the company with presenters such as Dance Theater Workshop, Merce Cunningham Trust, and The Kitchen. In the 1970s and 1980s the ensemble toured with support from foundations including the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Rockefeller Foundation, establishing relationships with presenters at Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Kennedy Center, and Spoleto Festival USA. Administrative leadership involved figures linked to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, and academic partnerships with Princeton University and Columbia University. The company’s administrative evolution paralleled the career of its founder through institutional affiliations such as New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and archives at Library of Congress.

Artistic Style and Choreography

The company’s aesthetic developed from techniques shared among choreographers including Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, Merce Cunningham, and Lucinda Childs. Choreographic principles combined pedestrian movement from Judson Dance Theater with compositional strategies akin to John Cage’s chance procedures and the structural clarity of Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Works often integrated set and visual art collaborations with artists from Robert Rauschenberg’s circle, designers associated with Iannis Xenakis, and scenographers who had worked with Robert Wilson. The company explored improvisation connected to practices by Paul Taylor alumni, and theatrical staging influenced by directors from Woody Allen’s milieu and opera directors like Peter Sellars. Musical collaborations ranged from engagements with contemporary composers such as Trilok Gurtu-style percussionists to performances accompanied by recordings of The Velvet Underground and ensembles like Eighth Blackbird.

Key Works and Performances

Signature works premiered by the company include evening-length and site-specific pieces performed at institutions like Lincoln Center Festival, MOMA PS1, Walker Art Center, Seattle Art Museum, and Chicago Cultural Center. Notable premieres were staged in festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale, Documenta, and the Avignon Festival. The repertory that toured internationally included pieces programmed alongside works by Pina Bausch, Alvin Ailey, Jirí Kylián, Paul Taylor, and William Forsythe. Performances at concert halls and opera houses brought the company into programs curated by presenters like SFMOMA, Paris Opera Ballet venues, and the Royal Opera House. Recorded and filmed versions of key works entered collections at British Pathé, NHK, and archives at Museum of Modern Art.

Collaborators and Company Members

The company’s roster featured dancers, choreographers, composers, and visual artists who also worked with institutions like New York City Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. Frequent collaborators included designers and composers associated with Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Robert Rauschenberg, Sol LeWitt, and filmmakers who had worked with Andy Warhol. Company members toured with and later taught at conservatories such as Juilliard School, The Juilliard School, Boston Conservatory, CUNY programs, and European institutions like Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and Codarts. Guest artists and rehearsal directors hailed from ensembles such as The Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Twyla Tharp’s company, and contemporary collectives linked to Les Ballets C de la B.

Legacy and Influence

The company’s legacy is preserved in collections at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and university archives at Harvard University and Yale University. Its influence is evident in pedagogy at contemporary programs in institutions like NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Juilliard, and European academies including RADA-affiliated departments. Artists from generations influenced by the company appear in festivals curated by Lincoln Center, BAM, Sadler's Wells Theatre, and international biennials such as Serralves Foundation and Biennale di Venezia. Honors and retrospectives have been organized by organizations including the Guggenheim Museum, Walker Art Center, MoMA, and historical surveys at Jacob's Pillow. The choreographic lineage informs contemporary practices alongside works by Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, and Ohad Naharin.

Category:Dance companies in the United States