
The Trisha Brown Dance Company begins a week-long residency at the University of Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 1, with a range of free events open to the public:
Floor of the Forest, Visual Arts Building, daily performances Nov. 1-7, 12-3 PM
First performed in 1970 in downtown New York City by Trisha Brown and Carmen Beuchat, Floor of the Forest is danced upon a sculptural steel frame holding up a web of ropes that have been threaded with colorful used clothing. Climbing onto the apparatus, two dancers weave their way across the structure by putting on and then taking off the clothing, occasionally pausing to allow gravity to pull their bodies toward the floor while the clothing acts as a cocoon or hammock. Floor of the Forest will be staged for UI Dance students by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia. No RSVP required.
In Plain Site, Nov. 4 (Hancher) and Nov. 6 (Visual Arts Building), 6 PM
In Plain Site resituates the artist’s dances in unexpected locations. For this site-specific program, selections from the repertory are restaged in a dynamic relationship to their setting, expanding and amplifying Brown’s affinity for naturalizing movement to the physical environment. In dialogue with Hancher, the company will develop two distinct programs that engage audiences with the range of Brown’s artistry reframed against an array of natural and built landscapes. RSVP here.
Restaging Trisha Brown & Merce Cunningham in Collaboration with Robert Rauschenberg, UI Stanley Museum of Art, Nov. 6, 6 PM
A conversation with artists and scholars reflecting on the restaging of historic collaborations between visual artist Robert Rauschenberg and choreographers Trisha Brown and Merce Cunningham—exploring the creative process, archival challenges, and the enduring influence of these groundbreaking works. The conversation will feature representatives of the Merce Cunningham Trust, Trisha Brown Dance Company, as well as UI faculty—Melinda Jean Myers and Tony Orrico—who danced for Trisha Brown and have restaged work to coincide with the company’s visit to Iowa City. No RSVP required.
"Trisha Brown's choreography, as embodied by her remarkable company, operates at the intersection of intellectual inquiry and visceral sensation. Their performances are not merely displays of physical prowess but rather profound explorations of movement's inherent logic and its capacity to reveal the hidden poetry within the everyday." – The New Yorker