Typically before any performance starts at the Howard Gilman Opera House, a voice echos through the theater reminding everyone about cell phone and photography policies. Last night, the charming voice overhead, in addition to her usual, brief speech, asked former Trisha Brown company members and collaborators to please stand up for acknowledgement. We were applauding history. Job well done.
My first exposure to the work of Trisha Brown came when I was a dance major at The Ohio State University. I spent a quarter learning from one of Trisha's former company members, Abby Yager. Her class was a challenge. I had trouble letting go of my muscles and moving with lightness and "less effort, less effort." Initiating from the top of my head and finger tips were foreign concepts, and I easily became frustrated. I was used to using core strength, deep physicality and overworking my quads. I am not alone in this feeling. Many sentiments regard Trisha's work as difficult, yet so satisfying when that release in your body is found. It's like a light bulb going off in your veins. "Ohhhh that's what it's supposed to feel like.....Eureka!"
I fully came to appreciate this "less effort, less effort" last night. The dancers expel movement with such ease and grace, liquefying their arms and moving through a serene pathway. This is post-modern technique at its finest. The weight shifts and connect-the-dots transitions look natural for this troupe - but any Trisha aficionado knows they work hard to achieve it.
Last night was an education. I had seen "Set and Reset" performed by OSU students while I was in school, but that was the extent of my Trisha Brown experience. Watching "Set and Reset" took me back to my college classes with Abby -- I thought about what I could have done better, how I could have worked harder.
The last piece of the first half transported the audience back to the 1980s with "Newark (Niweweorce)," created in 1987. I couldn't believe I was watching a dance that once broke the mold with its use of analog sounds in dance performance. At one time this was a really big deal. These days with all the post-post modern weirdness and often-missed themes lacking in practice and humility, audiences can get overwhelmed with the use of digital technology and storytelling. The loud and purposeful droning sounds in "Newark (Niweweorce)" were effective and hypnotic. The dancers were nothing short of extraordinary, holding shapes and landing poses in plies that made my mouth drop. "Hold it, hold it!" I thought for them.
Simple concepts focused on basic technique and form. The use of color blocking on the stage also reminded me of 1980s fashion. Here's an article that Anna Kisselgoff wrote about the piece in 1987: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/
The second half featured Brown's work from 2011, "I'm going to toss my arms - if you catch them they're yours." The elemental Trisha Brown aesthetics were all there in this later work -- seamless partnering, cool technique and effortless weight. But the live pianist, barren stage and large industrial fans modernized it without being cliche. It was poetic and quietly beautiful. The dancers disrobed throughout the piece from their wispy, white outfits to colorfully classic leotards. Bodies floated in between the winds of the fans -- they were like feathers blowing happily away.
Here's a review from Oregon Live: http://www.oregonlive.com/
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For more great reading about Trisha Brown Dance Company, start here with BAM's blog: http://bam150years.blogspot.
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