Trisha Brown Dance Company Will Celebrate its 50th Anniversary at The Joyce Theater

Trisha Brown Dance Company will celebrate its 50th anniversary at The Joyce Theater (April 21-26) with an historical season commemorating Brown's extraordinary partnership with visual artist Robert Rauschenberg. Over the course of five decades, Brown and Rauschenberg maintained a remarkable creative dialogue, drawing inspiration from each other while investigating the visual and the kinetic. The Joyce program features two pivotal works: Foray Forêt, with original costumes by Rauschenberg, and Astral Converted, featuring Rauschenberg's costumes and mobile set of lighting towers.

Foray Forêt, which premiered in 1990 at Lyon Biennale de la Danse in France, marks the beginning of Brown's elegant and mysterious Back to Zero cycle in which she pulls back from external virtuosity to explore simpler forms. Through the activation of gesture set off before the mind is engaged, Foray Forêt builds on a vocabulary of subconscious moves described by Brown as "delicate aberrations."

The revival of Astral Converted, set to original music by John Cage, features Rauschenberg's metal frame towers that house the lights and sound system and are built from automotive supplies. The towers are activated by motion sensors to detect the dancers and respond to their movement. At once serene and highly physical, Astral Converted is the culminating piece in Brown's Valiant Series; it premiered at the National Gallery of Art in 1991 as an adaptation of Astral Convertible (1989).

In celebration of the 50th anniversary season, the company will feature former and current dancers including Cecily Campbell, Kimberly Fulmer, Leah Ives, Amanda Kmett'Pendry, Kyle Marshall, Patrick McGrath, Jamie Scott, Stuart Shugg, and Jacob Storer.

Prior to The Joyce season, the anniversary tour includes several performances in France at Théâtre de Nimes, Nimes (Mar 11-13); Manège, Scène National, Reims (Mar 17-18); Le POC, Alfortville (Mar 21); Théâtre National de Chaillot, Paris (Mar 25-28); and La Rose des Vents, Villeneuve d'Ascq (Apr 1-3). The tour also features a performance at Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC (May 26-30).

PERFORMANCE TIMES:

Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm

TICKET PRICES AND JOYCE MEMBER INFORMATION:

Single tickets start at $10. Call JoyceCharge (212-242-0800); visit the Box Office (Monday-Friday, 12- 6pm); or charge online at www.Joyce.org. NOTE: Ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

The company will host a Gala Reception honoring the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation immediately following the opening night performance on Tuesday, April 21; for more information about the Gala, please contact Development Director Daniel Feinstein at d.feinstein@trishabrowncompany.org or by phone at (212) 977-5365 x120.

About Trisha Brown:

Trisha Brown (1936-2017), artistic director and choreographer, was born and raised in Aberdeen, WA. She graduated from Mills College in 1958, studied with Anna Halprin and taught at Reed College in Portland before moving to New York City in 1961. Instantly immersed in what was to become the post-modern phenomenon of Judson Dance Theater, her movement investigations found the extraordinary in the everyday and challenged existing perceptions of what constituted performance. In 1970, Brown formed her company and made the groundbreaking work, Man Walking Down the Side of a Building, one of many site-specific works created in, around, and hovering over the streets and buildings of her SoHo neighborhood. Her first of many collaborations with Robert Rauschenberg, Glacial Decoy, premiered in 1979, followed by Set and Reset in 1983 with original music by Laurie Anderson. Brown created nearly 100 dance works, including several operas. Also recognized as a visual artist, her drawings have been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions including Documenta 12 in Kassel, Germany, MoMA in New York, and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Brown was the first woman choreographer to receive the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Other honors included the Brandeis University's Creative Arts Medal in Dance, two John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships, a New York State Governor's Arts Award, and the National Medal of Arts. Brown was named a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France in 1988, elevated to Officier in 2000 and to Commandeur in 2004. She served on the National Council on the Arts from 1994 to 1997. Brown was honored with the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for making an "outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life." In 2013, she was honored with the BOMB Magazine Award, and received the 2015 Honors Award given by Dance/USA.