Traveling Steps
Dance company visits with its unique performance
Known for her “out of the box” thinking and cutting edge choreography, Trisha Brown expanded the possibilities for dance performance beyond the traditional stage. At the forefront of post-modern dance, Brown began choreographing and performing in the ’60s and founded the TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY in the ’70s. Over the decades, she received numerous honors and awards for her works, which included dancers performing on city rooftops to literally walking down the side of buildings.
After Brown retired in 2013, the Trisha Brown Dance Company continued to honor her work and legacy under the art direction of Carolyn Lucas and Diane Madden. The company created the performance piece In Plain Site.
That piece comes to Wilmington this month, with dancers tackling the site-specific performance, not only on stage, but also leading the audience through the Wilson Center and nearby blocks outside.
In Plain Site elaborates on Brown’s early works, created at the beginning of her career. Rather than perform the dances in their entirety, the company decided to focus on specific excerpts.
“We felt some sections of the choreography was able to be extracted and stand on its own.” Lucas says.
Each performance on the tour has to be tailored to the specific location’s venue and environment.
Whether performed in London, Abu Dhabi, or Los Angeles, In Plain Site originates with a collaboration between the company and the performance venue’s staff.
In Wilmington, Lucas met with Shane Fernando and LaRaisha Burnette, director and center services coordinator, respectively, of Cape Fear Community College’s Wilson Center.
“We walked around and looked at the different areas and possibilities.” Lucas says. “Shane was very interested in using parts of the theater that aren’t typically used.”
Lucas herself was intrigued by the outside space by the Cape Fear River. After taking in the variety of sites available in and around a venue, thought was then given to a variety of factors that will impact the performance.
“We took into account everything from the sunset and how light will impact a performance outside, to the textures that the dancers will be performing on.” says choreographer Carolyn Lucas.
Polished cement, for instance, allows the dancers to slide on the surface, which lends itself better to certain dances over others.
By traversing beyond the “traditional” stage and performance setup, the company is also able to play with the proximity of space between the dancers and the audience members.
“We have worked so long in the studio that we take for granted that we get to experience the performance while being just a few feet away from the dancers. Most people don’t have that experience,” Lucas says, adding that the opportunity to perform closer to the audience also changes the experience for the dancers. “There’s a different sensation while performing when you can see people and their faces. Generally, when dancers perform on stage they look out and see darkness.”
With In Plain Site, however, the dancers can see who is in the audience and watch their facial expressions.
“There’s quite a human element to it.” Lucas says.
In Plain Site
April 20 and 21, 7:30 p.m.
CFCC Wilson Center | Tickets: $32
Info: cfcc.edu/capefearstage
