Festival Dance
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Pioneering Choreographer Trisha Brown, whose company is performing at the Edinburgh International Festival for the first time, talks to Kelly Apter about the many and varied inspirations behind her work
n l‘)(i3. one building in New York (‘ity
became the centre of the modern dance
world. Artists flocked to .ltidson Meriiorial (‘hurcli to produce work. and when they lel’t. went on to iiil‘luence dancers and chrri‘eogi'aphei‘s around the world. But when I ask 'l‘r‘isha Brown. one ol' the key figures (ii that lime. to talk abotit Judson l)arrce 'l'heater. the 7|~yeai‘-old gets a little agitated.
‘()h god I hate talking about Judsonf she says. ‘You do one thing that you're stigmatised with lot“ the rest ol your Me I was 23 at the time. give me a hi'eak.‘ To be lair. Brow n‘s car'ecr' post— Judsori has been so diy'erse and successl'ul. barking back to the old days is understandany tedious. Despite entering her eighth decade. Brown still works at a lilat-out pace. with her company about to pei‘l‘oi‘iii at the lidiribtrrgh International Festival for the lirst time.
Like most people. however. the desire to reriiiriisee is too strong. and Brown‘s reluctance to talk about Judson soon passes. What emerges about the infamous y'enue. how‘ey‘er'. is a yery different story to the one history would hay'e tis beliey'e. erile Brown was showing groundbreaking work outdoors such as her site—specific piece. Bil/king Down The Side oft-l Bur/(ling 7— the folks indoors were wrapped up in their own creations.
‘Judson is a myth and a legend.‘ says Brown. ‘I
was making early site-specific pieces out ol‘
doors. and some people at Judson didn‘t men know I was out there doing it. We iised each other — if you needed a trio. you‘d get three people and ask them to do it. What I did on my own had nothing to do with Judson. I had my own agenda — btit that‘s my story. other people
78 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE -\:.;r " Set
were yei'y w rapped tip in Judsoii.‘
\Vliiil slic w ill criticctlc. litiw eyei‘. is that lk‘ltlll‘ Judson. young dancers who didn’t want to coiil'oi'iii to the ballet tradition had nowhere else to f—‘o. "l‘her'e were no theatres in New York that would take people under 4() end (it stoi'y.‘ says Brown. 'We didn‘t haye alternatiye spaces in those days. It had to start soriiewher'c. and it started at Judson. A gymnasium iii the haseiiicnt and a sanctuary in the main part or the church and those were the places you could pei'l‘oi'iiif
llow ey er Brown l‘eels about Judson now. without it she may neyei‘ haye honed her cr'al't
‘PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE INSPIRATION FROM WHAT THEY SEE, NOT STEAL MY WORK'
stilliciently to run her own coriipariy \long with lellow .ludsorrites such as \ yomie ls’airiei. .\'te\e l’a\toir and l iicriida ('hilds. Brown has been a mayor presence iii the modern dance world loi oyer‘ ill year‘s. Spanning Ill years. the works being per'lorriied at the l-estryal. \t-r it'lli/ New]. ('iirrlu/l’riuilo arid /’/'¢'u'ril It rryi'. seiye as the perl'ect introduction to. and men iew ol. her work
('reated iii the altei‘rirath ol ‘l/l I. I’m-win lt'HH is lilled with what Brown calls ‘mtittial support and tenderness. a ctitiiitcr'lxilarice to the 'lear and great soi'row' which surrounded that time. ('uri/o/l’i'iirrlo is a trimmed down yer'srori ol Brown's dance opera. I'M/ho. set to music by .\loiiteyerdi a popular theme throughout this year's International l-cstiyal.
’l‘he highlight ol the pi'ograriiiiie. howeyer. has to be Xe! um/ New! a work held iii high esteem by all the miners and shakers ol the dance world. Made in 1033. with music by laiirie Anderson design by .'\lllt‘llt‘.’lll c\peririieiital artist Robert Rairscherrbeig. the piece is on cyei'y pi'ograiiiiiiei"s wish list. We!
and set
(UNI lx’r'yel is a ycry poprilai' piece.‘ says Brown. 'll- we li;l\cli‘l been in it city lk‘liit‘c. _\Hll.ll More than likely see that on the pi'ogr'aiiiiiie arid eyeri ill w'c haye been to that city belore you‘re still likely to see it. because ey cry body wants it.‘
The work created by Brown is as challenging as it is iriyeiitiye. Alongside athletic aerial work or technically coriiple\ iiianoeuyres. yoii'll liiid more unusual moments. such as somebody running continuously in a circle. or standing completely still hit the entire piece. .-\ distiiictiy e style which. when poached. sticks out a mile much to Brow n's annoyance.
‘l’eople should take inspiration ll‘tilll what they see. not steal my woi‘k.‘ she says. ‘I don‘t like that and there are a l'ew ol' those otit there. Make your own thing instead ol' lust copying people I don't copy. not eyen my sell. .'\ll artist is supposed to create ar't.‘
Edinburgh Playhouse, 473 2000, 24—26 Aug, 7.30pm, 28-5228.