WHO'S WHO IN THE COMPANY

One of the most acclaimed and influential choreographers and dancers of her time, Trisha Brown’s (1936-2017) groundbreaking work forever changed the landscape of art. A student of Anna Halprin, Brown participated in the choreographic composition workshops taught by Robert Dunn – from which Judson Dance Theater was born – greatly contributing to the fervent of interdisciplinary creativity that defined 1960s New York. With the founding of the Trisha Brown Dance Company in 1970, Brown set off on her own distinctive path of artistic investigation and ceaseless experimentation, which extended for 40 years. The creator of over 100 choreographies, six operas, and a graphic artist, whose drawings have earned recognition in numerous museum exhibitions and collections, Brown’s earliest works took impetus from the cityscape of downtown SoHo, where she was a pioneering settler. In the 1970s, as Brown strove to invent an original abstract movement language – one of her singular achievements – it was art galleries, museums, and international exhibitions that provided her work its most important presentation context. A major turning point in Brown’s career occurred in 1979, when she transitioned from working in non-traditional and art world settings to assume the role of a choreographer working within the institutional framework associated with dancing – the proscenium stage.

In her lifetime Trisha Brown was the recipient of nearly every award available to contemporary choreographers. The first woman to receive the coveted MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant (in 1991), Brown was honored by five fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts; two John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships; and Brandeis University’s Creative Arts Medal in Dance (1982). In 1988, she was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the government of France In 1999, she received the New York State Governor’s Arts Award and, in 2003, was honored with the National Medal of Arts. She has received numerous honorary doctorates, is an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was awarded the 2011 New York Dance and Performance ‘Bessie’ Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, Brown received 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.”

Today the Trisha Brown Dance Company continues to perpetuate Brown’s legacy through its Trisha Brown: In Plain Site initiative. Through it, the company draws on Brown’s model for reinvigorating her choreography through its re-siting in relation to new contexts that include outdoor sites, and museum settings and collections. The company is also involved in an ongoing process of reconstructing and remounting major works that Brown created for the proscenium stage between 1979 and 2011. In addition, the company continues its work to consolidate Trisha Brown’s artistic legacy through their management of her archives, which record her meticulous creative process over many decades.

JUDITH SÁNCHEZ RUÍZ (Choreographer) (she/her) began studying dance at the age of 11 at the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba.

The Berlin-based director worked in New York City since 1999 and relocated to Berlin in 2011. She established the JSR Company in NYC in 2010, creating numerous choreographic stage works and site-specific projects involving live music in collaboration with innovative composers and visual artists throughout the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Sánchez Ruíz is a former member of Sasha Waltz & Guests (2011-2014), Trisha Brown Dance Company (2006-2009), Mal Pelo (1997-1999), and DanzAbierta (1991-1996), among others like Deborah Hay (2012), DD Dorvillier (2002, 2019), Jeremy Nelson & Luis Malvacias (2001-2002), and David Zambrano (1997). Sánchez Ruíz has been awarded grants by The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The American Music Center’s

Live Music for Dance program, and the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Her work has been commissioned at Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church, Works & Process at the Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and Storm King Art Center, NY; Residency Award at Choreographisches Centrum Heidelberg in Projekt der TANZ Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany (2017), and DIS-TANZEN grant, sponsored by the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland (2020) among others. Since moving to Europe in 2011, her work has been presented at numerous venues around the world: Bouge B, DeSingel Festival, Antwerp (Belgium); Tanzfestival im Kulturzentrum Tempel, Karlsruhe (Germany); Gdansk Dance Festival (Poland); Festival Deltebre Dansa (Spain); Tanz_house Festival, Saal – ARGEkultur (Austria); Festival El Cruce Rosario, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Notafe, Viljandi (Estonia); Guangdong Dance Festival, Guangzhou (China); Radialsystem V (Germany); Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF), Dallas (USA); Vitlycke-Centre for Performing Arts, Tanumshede (Sweden); TicTac Art Center (Belgium); B12 festival and Trauma Bar und Kino (Germany); HMD's The Bridge Project (USA); Livestream Interactive Performance (Berlin/California); Artist in residence at Hong Kong Academic of Performing Arts, 2022, and the multidisciplinary opera production by the Theatre of Münster 2023. Sánchez Ruíz has created two practices: Functionality and Perspective in Dance (Release), and Your Own God Intensive Improvisation, establishing herself as a choreographer and teacher at major higher education institutions in dance throughout Europe, the US, Latin America, and Asia.

CAROLYN LUCAS (Associate Artistic Director) (she/her) attended North Carolina School of the Arts and graduated with a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase before joining Trisha Brown Dance Company in 1984. Lucas originated roles in some of Brown’s most acclaimed works including Lateral Pass (1983), Carmen (1986), Newark (Niweweorce) (1987), Astral Convertible (1989), Foray Forêt (1990), and Astral Converted (1991). Lucas’ dancing has been described in The New York Times as “affecting in her softly penetrating attack” and “especially luminous.” In 1993, Brown appointed Lucas as her Choreographic Assistant, a position Lucas held for 20 years before being named Associate Artistic Director in 2013. As Choreographic Assistant, Lucas played an integral role in Brown’s creation process in dance and opera, working closely alongside Brown for pieces including If you couldn’t see me (1994), its revision to the duet You can see us (1995) with Bill T. Jones and later Mikhail Baryshnikov, Monteverdi’s Orfeo (1998), and its revival in 2002, El Trilogy (2000), Luci Mie Traditrici (2001), It’s a Draw (2002), Winterreise (2002) with Simon Keenlyside, PRESENT TENSE (2003), O Zlozony/O Composite (2004) with étoiles from the Paris Opera Ballet, Da Gelo a Gelo (2006) with Salvatore Sciarrino and La Monnaie, Rameau’s Pygmalion (2010) with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, Festival d’Aix, Holland Festival and Athens Festival, and Brown’s final work for the Company, I’m going to toss my arms- if you catch them they’re yours (2011) which premiered at Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris. In addition to assisting with new choreography, directing Company rehearsals and restaging existing choreography on the current dancers, Lucas has led projects for companies and institutions around the world, including The New School in NYC, P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels, and Paris Opera Ballet. She was one of the first instructors Brown sent to P.A.R.T.S. to construct a Set and Reset/Reset, whose collaborative, interdisciplinary learning process is now a cornerstone of the Company’s education program. Lucas is currently sharing her firsthand knowledge of three decades of dancing, teaching and documenting Brown's work for the Trisha Brown Archive. She studied Tai Chi with Maggie Newman and Alexander Technique with June Ekman.

ALVIN CURRAN (Composer) (he/him) has realized a long and fruitful career as a composer/performer/ installation artist, writer, and teacher in the American experimental music tradition. Born in Providence in 1938 he studied with Ron Nelson, Elliott Carter, and Mel Powell, cofounded the group Musica Elettronica Viva in 1966 in Rome where he currently resides. His music whether chamber works, radio-art, largescale environmental theater or solo performance, embraces all sounds, all spaces, and all people. More info at: www.alvincurran.com.

ADONIS GONZALEZ-MATOS (Composer) (he/him), Pianist, Composer, and Conductor, is a Latin Grammy nominee in the category of Best Classical Album for his solo debut album Adios a Cuba. He made his conducting debut with the Vienna International Orchestra in Austria. Gonzalez-Matos has performed as a soloist with many orchestras around the globe such as, The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Junge Süddeutsche Philharmonie Esslingen in Germany, Vienna Residence Orchestra (Wiener Residenzorchester) in Austria, Slovak Chamber Orchestra, National Philharmonic of Venezuela, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Cuban National Symphony, Masterworks Festival Orchestra in Washington DC, Mississippi Symphony, USM Symphony, New York City Opera Orchestra, and many others. He has also performed at the most distinguished venues in the US such as: Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC. GonzalezMatos has been composer in residence of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Cuban Artist Fund of New York. He also collaborated with renowned choreographer Judith Sanchez as a composer for Works & Process at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. He has written music for a myriad of media and formats. Some of his most recent works premiered as part of the DIALOGUES Series of Composers Now in New York City invited by eminent composer Tania León. Gonzalez holds a doctoral degree from Rutgers University and is a Professor of Music at Alabama State University. www.adonisgonzalez.com.

CLAIRE FLEURY (Costume Designer) (she/her) manipulates fabric and other, unconventional materials into multidimensional, colorful garments that are an invitation to move, play, and dance. She is particularly interested in creating costumes and garments that are extending the body into space in surprising and sometimes inexplicable ways. Before moving to New York City from Amsterdam in 2011, Claire Fleury spent 20 years directing, writing, and performing for theater in Europe. Operating out of the gallery she opened on the LES with her partner, photographer Exum, she started designing costumes and fashion for nightlife performers and dance companies. Her first three fashion collections were sold at Patricia Field, the eponymous shop of the famed Sex and the City stylist. Fleury has created her own fashion and dance shows for Fashion Week Brooklyn, The Phluid Project, DapperQ at the Brooklyn Museum, for VERS BK (a sustainable local designer shop and centre she curates with Tilly deWolfe in Bushwick), at Tic Tac Art Centre in Bruxelles, and for the 40th anniversary of Yoshiko Chuma, and The School of Hard Knocks. She created costumes for Susanne Bartsch, The Illustrious Blacks, Penny Arcade, Laurie Anderson, David Zambrano (Brussels), Yoshiko Chuma, and drag queens Rify Royalty, Merrie Cherry, and Elemenopé. Her work has been published in Vogue Italia, Paper Magazine, Schön Magazine, Lucy’s Magazine, The New York Times, Art Papers, and many other publications.

KAYE VOYCE (Costume Designer) (she/her) is based in New York City and has designed for theatre, opera, and dance throughout the USA and Europe. Recent projects include: Richard Maxwell's Neutral Hero (Kunstenfestival des Arts (Brussels), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna), Hebbel Theater (Berlin), and the 2011 Festival D'Automne), Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place (New York City Opera), Philip Glass' Orphee (Glimmerglass Opera and Portland Opera), Paradise Lost (American Repertory Theatre), Der Menschenfeind

(Staatstheater Braunschweig), and The Bacchae (The Public Theatre/Shakespeare in the Park).

SPENCER BROWN (Lighting Designer) spent ten years touring with the Trisha Brown Company. During his tenure he designed many dances with Trisha, For M.G.: The Movie still being one of his favorite designs. He returned to Salt Lake City in 1998 and has been a “fixture” at The Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City. He has also designed for the Red Hot 4th at Rice Eccles Olympic Stadium. Spencer has a BFA in Production Design from the University of Utah and an MFA in Lighting from the University of Massachusetts. While in New York, Spencer worked with other modern dance companies and Off Broadway Theatres. For the 2002 Winter Olympics Torch Night at Salt Lake City County Building, he co-designed the lighting which was broadcast to 150 countries. Spencer is now teaching lighting and stage management at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, while continuing to design for Hale Centre Theatre and The Salt Lake Grand Theatre. Spencer attributes his love for the theatre to his father, who instilled in him a great work ethic and sense of accomplishment. Spencer loves spending time with his family, preferably in the mountains of Utah where he can fish to his heart’s content, and looks forward to teaching his grandchildren the important skill of fishing.

TRICIA TOLIVER (Lighting Designer/Production Stage Manager) (she/her) was the resident Lighting Designer/Production Manager for the Barnard College Dance Department from 2009-2022. During that time, she designed lighting for new works by many noted choreographers including Kyle Abraham, Jennifer Archibald, Ephrat Asherie, Kimberly Bartosik, Sidra Bell, Brian Brooks, chameckilerner, Nora Chipaumire, David Dorfman, Faye Driscoll, Wesley Ensminger, Melissa Fenley, Ori Flomin, Shannon Gillen, Larry Keigwin, Jodi Melnick, Andrea Miller, Vicky Shick, Claudia Schreier, Pam Tanowitz, Colleen Thomas, David Thomson, Adrienne Truscott, Reggie Wilson, and Yue Yin among others. Outside of Barnard, she has designed for Damian Woetzel’s Bend in the Road at the Delacorte Theater, as well as for Gwen Welliver, Patricia Hoffbauer, Gabriel Misse, and Davalois Fearon. Tricia holds a B.A. in dance from UCLA and an M.F.A. in dance from the University of Washington and danced with Donald Byrd/The Group from 1987-1991. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with TBDC again as they embark upon this new chapter.

JOHN TORRES (Lighting Designer) (he/him) is a New York based lighting designer working in theatre, fashion, motion, print, and exhibitions. Professionally trained in theatrical lighting design, John has designed for artists such as stage designer and director Robert Wilson, choreographers Lucinda Childs and Trisha Brown, and directors Yuval Sharon and Zack Winokur. Recent and upcoming theatrical engagements include Turandot at Opera National de Paris and Tristan and Isolde at Sant Fe Opera. In fashion, John has designed recent shows for Gucci, Bottega Veneta, and Proenza Schouler and is a regular collaborator with fashion photographer Steven Klein. In live music, John is a frequent collaborator with Solange Knowles and recently designed the residency for Usher at The Colosseum in Las Vegas. Within the visual art world, John has designed the exhibition Who is Queen? with artist Adam Pendleton at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and will be collaborating with the artist Camille Norment for her upcoming exhibition at Dia Chelsea in New York.

CHRISTIAN ALLEN (Dancer) (he/him) grew up in Cambridge, MA, where he began dancing at the age of five with JAM’NASTICS INC., a local hip-hop company. His formal dance training began in high school where he studied ballet, modern, and improvisational dance. While pursuing his BFA, and since his graduation from SUNY Purchase in 2015, he has performed repertory from Jodi Melnick, NØA Dance, GREYZONE NYC, Gregory Dolbashian, Adam Barruch, Gabrielle Lamb, Shannon Gillen, Roy Assaf, Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, Brian Brooks, Emily

Molnar, and Bill T. Jones. Christian premiered Kimberly Bartosik's I hunger for you in 2018 and went on to tour with kimberlybartosik/daela in 2019-2020. He has worked extensively with the Merce Cunningham Trust, including performing in the NYC production of Night of 100 Solos in 2019 and receiving his Cunningham teacher certification in 2022. This is Christian’s first season performing with Trisha Brown Dance Company.

CECILY CAMPBELL (Dancer/Assistant Rehearsal Director) (she/her) was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM and holds a BFA in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She was a company member of Shen Wei Dance Arts from 2008 to 2013 and joined the Trisha Brown Dance Company in 2012. She has performed repertory spanning Trisha Brown's 40-year career and has taught master classes and workshops around the world in technique, repertory, improvisation, and composition. She has re-staged Trisha Brown’s work on multiple companies including Set and Reset/Reset at the Venice Biennale College Danza, Newark and Foray Forêt on the Lyon Opera Ballet, Solo Olos on A.I.M., Solo Olos at CNDC in Angers, France, and Set and Reset/Reset at The Juilliard School. She performed in the Bessie award-winning Night of 100 Solos as part of the Merce Cunningham Centennial at Brooklyn Academy of Music and made her Metropolitan Opera debut last fall in The Hours, choreographed by Annie-B Parson. She is delighted to share this work with you.

LINDSEY JONES (Dancer) (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based dance artist, herbalist, originally from St. Louis, MO. Jones, a SUNY Purchase alumna, has collaborated with Pam Tanowitz Dance, Dance Heginbotham, Kimberly Bartosik, Sally Silvers, Bill Young, Caleb Teicher, among others. Since 2012, she has worked regularly with the Merce Cunningham Trust on restagings & workshops, including the Bessie-award winning Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event at BAM and was featured in Alla Kovgan’s 3D film CUNNINGHAM. Jones teaches a variety of movementbased classes including Cunningham technique, Dance for Parkinson’s, as well as classes that combine movement and herbalism. She was a 2022/2023 fellow at the New York Public Library, researching Dance & Ecology and is in her final year at Arbor Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism. Jones joined the Trisha Brown Dance Company in 2023.

BURR JOHNSON (Dancer) (he/him) is a dancer and choreographer currently living and working in New York City. As a performer, he has danced with John Jasperse Projects, Kimberly Bartosik/daela, and Shen Wei Dance Arts. He has also worked for Marina Abramović/GIVENCHY, Walter Dundervill, Ryan McNamara, Boris Charmatz, Isabel Lewis, Nick Mauss, Peter Sellars, Christopher Williams, Sally Silvers, Bill Young, Jack Ferver, Moriah Evans, Brittany Bailey, and Netta Yerushalmy. His choreographic work has been presented through Movement Research, Dixon Place, Abrons Art Center, Danspace Project, New York Live Arts, The American Dance Festival, GIBNEY, Works & Process at the Guggenheim Museum, and The Future Dance Festival at The Joyce Theater. He has guest-taught at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, University of the Arts, University of Utah, Salem College, MoMA PS1, Goucher College, Virginia Commonwealth University, UNC Greensboro, Purchase College, and the American Dance Festival. In April 2019, he performed four solos choreographed by Merce Cunningham for Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event at UCLA in Los Angeles. He is a 2020 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award honoree for individual performance in Kimberly Bartosik’s through the mirror of their eyes. He also works as a gardener and floral designer (BFA Virginia Commonwealth University 2009).

CYNTHIA KOPPE (Dancer) (she/her), born in Singapore, is a New York City based performer and teacher. She was a company member with Shen Wei Dance Arts from 2009-2017 and worked in collaboration with Liz Santoro and Pierre Godard of Le Principe d’Incertitude from 20102020. She has had the pleasure of working with Yve Laris Cohen, Mimi Garrard, Heidi Howard and Liz Philips, John Jasperse, Nicole Mannarino, Ryan McNamara, Sam Roeck, Stephen Thompson and Andrew Tay, Adam Weinert, Christopher Williams, Ellis Wood, and Bill Young amongst others, and was a “reperformer” for Marina Abramovic’s 2010 MoMA Retrospective Cynthia teaches Yoga, Pilates, and Somatic Movement and practices Craniosacral Therapy. She holds a teaching certification in Female Ejaculation and the G-Spot and has trained in holistic pelvic health with Tami Lynn Kent and Ami Opal. She studies and has taught adult sex education with Isa Coffey of WiseBodies, and holds her own circles for women. Cynthia graduated with a BA in Dance and Sociology from Cornell University, where she was honored as a Merrill Presidential Scholar. She is so happy to be joining TBDC for its 2023 Joyce Season.

PATRICK NEEDHAM (Dancer) (he/him) is an LA native living in New York City, where he earned his BFA in Dance and Choreography from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Along with being a current member of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, he has enjoyed collaborating with choreographers such as Anneke Hansen Netta Yerushalmy, and Kendra Portier, among others. Needham has performed experimental dance theater with CompanySBB and HOLDTIGHT. Teaching highlights include summer dance intensives at the ASWARA School of Dance in Malaysia and WESTSIDE Dance Project in Southern California. Needham’s most recent endeavor has been teaching for the Trisha Brown Dance Company's Education programs, all while pursuing his performance career. Currently, he is thrilled to be focusing on a new chapter of creating his own choreography repertoire for future performances and events.

JENNIFER PAYÁN (Dancer) (she/her) is a Dominican-American movement artist originally from the Bronx, NY. She began performing with TBDC in 2021 and is excited to be a part of continuing Trisha’s legacy. Outside of TBDC, Jennifer finds home performing with CompanySBB and serves as the Associate Artistic Director. She also appears often as a Guest Artist in Punch Drunk’s Sleep No More. Jennifer previously worked for Pam Tanowitz Dance, Netta Yerushalmy, UNA Productions, Yara Travieso, Jasmine Hearn Collaborates, Maleek Washington, Bobbi Jene Smith, among others. She received her BFA in Dance at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University with Magma Cum Laude.

SPENCER JAMES WEIDIE (Dancer) (they/them) is a performing artist based in New York City. They graduated from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY with a BFA in Dance and a concentration in Composition. They also studied at London Contemporary Dance School, Springboard Dans Montreal, and with the Merce Cunningham Trust. Spencer has performed works by Kyle Abraham, Kimberly Bartosik, Brian Brooks, Merce Cunningham, Sharon Eyal, Andrea Miller, Omar Roman de Jesus, and many more. Spencer has originated roles in many productions with the Metropolitan Opera. They were a company member with Brian Brooks/Moving Company (2017-2022) and MADBOOTS Dance (2017-2020), and has previously performed with Bocatuya and GALLIM. Spencer was invited to join the Trisha Brown Dance Company in the Fall of 2022.