REPERTORY

Brown has an innate ability to emulate the unspoken in the subtle way she captures and telegraphs vernacular gesture..."

CURRENT REPERTORY

 
CITY OF RAIN (2010)
9 dancers, RT 15:00 minutes
Premiere: August 9th, 2010 at The Joyce Theater

Dedicated to Greg 'Blyes' Boomer

*This work was made possible by The Field Artist Residency

GIRLS VERSE 1 (2010)
4 dancers (female), RT 3:oo minutes
Premiere: Jacob's Pillow

Inspired by Doun Doun Ba- the men's warrior dance of Guinea, West Africa

*This work was co-commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow and
created in part during a Creative Development Residency with support from the Jacob’s
Pillow Dance Award Initiative"

        "Like every great anthem it’s not one second longer than it ought to be." -Danceview times



GOOD & GROWN (2010)
Choreographed and Performed by Camille A. Brown
Music: Wes Montgomery and Saycon Sengbloh
Visual Art: Justin Morris

*This work was made possible by The Field Artist Residency

        One could only describe her as simply breathtaking."-Pittsburgh Dance Examiner

    She's a mistress of the melting gesture that's betrayed by a storm of little staccato ones." The Village Voice


BEEN THERE, DONE THAT (2010)
2 dancers, RT 7:00 minutes
Premiere: Jacob's Pillow

*This work was co-commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow and
created in part during a Creative Development Residency with support from the Jacob’s
Pillow Dance Award Initiative"

Concept initially created on dance stars Danny Tidwell and Tony nominated dancer, Karine Plantadit, this work tells the struggles of a dancing duo from the 1950/60's.

"A world premiere duet for Brown and Juel D. Lane, “Been There Done That,’’ reveal Brown’s considerable and effortless humor." -The Boston Globe


        “Been There, Done That” showed off Brown’s skill at creating character." -Danceview times

MATCHSTICK (2009)
4 Dancers, 2 musicians, 1 poet RT: 21:00 minutes
Music: Brandon McCune and Farai Malianga (live accompaniment)
Premiere: July 2008- Dance Theater Workshop (New York)

Set in the year 1915 (50 years after the Civil War and 50 years before the Civil Rights Movement) in a small room , this work focuses on 4 young black males who have been selected by the elders to be the future leaders of the community. In a time where truth, justice, and peace, are all against them, these men meet, stepping into their leadership and creating the path for change. With poetry written by Dana Gourrier (performed by J. Michael Kinsey), Matchstick explores the conversations between these menthrough bold, earthbound movements.

"In her new Matchstick...she [Ms. Brown] creates a physical and emotional environment in which four Black men inpost-Civil War/pre-civil rights America--future leaders of a community--gather around a table strewn with papers to strategize, argue and perhaps resolve differences. Their movement--expressionist and often jarring--gives us a sense of their conflicts and their vital connection to one another...intriguing and powerful."
-Eva Yaa Asantewaa (Infinitebody)

MARY (2009)
Solo, RT: 5:00 minutes
Music: Kurt ‘KC’ Clayton
Premiere: April 2009- Aaron Davis Hall (New York)

Is dedicated to the memory of her grandmother- Mary Virginia Williams. This dance expresses how blessed she feels to have been
given such a wonderful gift in her ‘Grandma’. She will always be with her in spirit- being her special guardian angel.

 There is no undercover talent here as Camille shines like a star on stage. With the use of breath, her movements seem effortless. The lines created on her body are clean and exact, and the theatrical choreography draws me in emotionally and spiritually. Each movement speaks the words of her story. Camille opens the eyes and ears of the audience as she vividly reads us a story about her grandmother through dance. Bravo Camille for a beautiful performance and for waking up the spirit of your grandmother on stage.”
-Careitha Davis (iDANZ)

Truly possessive of a star quality the room seems to shine brighter because of her light...”
-iDANZ review from Apap 2010

 

THE GROOVE TO NOBODY’S BUSINESS (2007)
9 Dancers, RT: 15:00 minutes
Music: Ray Charles and Brandon McCune
Premiere: September 2007- Sadler’s Wells (London, England)

Imagining the meeting of strangers on a subway, Brown’s work (commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) reveals glimpses of humanity in pedestrian movements and ordinary interactions.

“2007 should be remembered as the year of The Groove when choreographer Camille A. Brown threw down a worthy challenge…Groove bears all the hallmarks of its creator’s own style in her celebrated years dancing for Ronald K. Brown- bold, quicksilver, detailed, and charming to the max. I can’t wait to see what this dancemaker brings us next.”
-Eva Yaa Asantewaa (Dance Magazine)

WATCH THE AILEY COMPANY IN AN EXCERPT!


THE EVOLUTION OF A SECURED FEMININE (2007)
Solo, RT: 9:00 minutes
Music: Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson
Premiere: September 2007- City Center's Fall for Dance (New York)
Company Premiere: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Dec, 2010)

Choreographed and performed by Brown, “The Evolution…”, is a portrait of a woman, who with taunt gestures and fast footwork bursts into action creating a witty and humorous portrayal of a character in the midst of vacillating between uncertainty and carefree expression. The candid journey becomes a force with no restrictions, while finding joy in the spontaneity of life and celebrating the limitless gift of being a woman.

*This work was made possible with generous support from The Fund For New Work and Bam/651 Arts.

“[Camille A. Brown] as an innate ability to emulate the unspoken in the subtle ways she captures and telegraphs vernacular gesture.”
-The Washington Post

“a tour de force ”
    – Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times

"The incomparable Camille A. Brown dances her solo to music by Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter and Nancy Wilson…Brown breezed onto the stage, a hat dipped low over her eyes, and launched into ‘The Evolution of a Secured Feminine’. (What a title! But, by the end of this tour de force, you understand it.) It certainly could not be called quiet or small, but it had lots of tiny, vivid treasures, specific, focused movements danced with frightening control and... I adored this dance, and so did the audience who could not get enough of Brown"
-Eva Yaa Asantewaa

CHOICES (2007)
Solo, RT: 5:00 minutes
Music: Bobby McFerrin and YoYo Ma
                            Premiere: July 2008 -Dance Theater Workshop (New York)

A declaration of individuality, this work reflects a woman in the process of transitioning into the creation that God assigned her to be. With the commanding poetry of Dana Gourrier, it explores quick changes of weight, dynamic variety, syncopated rhythms, and the use of gesture.

 

NEW SECOND LINE (2006)
8-14 Dancers, RT: 10:00 minutes
Music: Rebirth Brass Band
Visual Artist: Moses Ball
Premiere: August 2006 (Washington, D.C.)

Commissioned by Reflections Dance Company and inspired by the events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, this work is a celebration of the spirit and culture of the people of New Orleans. Second Line is a traditional brass band parade for weddings, social events, and most notably, funerals. The people who follow the parade dancing with high energy and spirit are known as the 'second line'. In this work, the dancers represent spirits of ancestors who have passed on in celebration of the strength of their descendants who were faced with the terrible conditions of Katrina. Brown is currently extending this work.

    "Though grief is given its due, exuberance swells with the music of the Rebirth Brass Band. We’re still here, Brown reminds us, so we might as well dance." -The Boston Globe

"The movement in New Second Line is elastic, springy and big, with collapses to floor that pop right back again, lots of group synchronicity and fun. Everything is so strong and emphatic but also fluid and smooth."                                                     -OffOffOff

EXISTING REPERTORY


THE HONEYMOON IS OVER (2010)
2 dancers, RT 4:51 minutes
Premiere: May 19th, 2010 at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Commissioned by Dallas Black Dance Theater

THOSE WHO SEE LIGHT (2009)
7 dancers RT 12:30 minutes
Premiere: The Kimmel Center and The Joyce Theater

With original music by Kurt Kc Clayton and inspired by the hymn, "Those who see light can walk in the dark. Those who look up will see God's face.", this piece (all female), is about being call by illumination to be it- called by light to be light. Commissioned by The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) and premiered at The Kimmel Center and The Joyce Theater

"...powerful kinetics and masterful visual complexity."-The Philadelphia Inquirer

1 SECOND PAST THE FUTURE (2009,work-in-progess)
9 dancers, 1 orator, 1 singer RT: 21 minutes
Concept by: J. Michael Kinsey and Camille A. Brown

With live music and vocals by Crysatl Monee Hall, this work that asks the question: What happened to the beautiful things that
occurred 'Back In The Day'

THE BLUES ON BEALE (2009)
8 dancers, RT 10 minutes
Premiere: The Orpheum Theater (Memphis, Tennessee)

Commissioned by Ballet Memphis for their series Abundance: Art in Motion at The Orpheum Theater, influenced by Mario Bacchelli's painting, PANAMA CLUB, BEALE STREET, MEMPHIS, and set to the music of Aretha Franklin, this work takes place in a lounge during the 1950's where teenagers meet and tell each other (through dance) what it means to have 'The Blues".

 

UN FESTIN DIVIN- “A Divine Feast” (2008)
7 Dancers, RT 6:32 minutes
Music: Kurt ‘KC’ Clayton
Premiere: Bridges Hall (Memphis, Tennessee)
Commissioned by Ballet Memphis for their annual ‘Connections:Food’ series.


HERE WE GO...AGAIN?! (2007)
5 Dancers, RT: 10:00 minutes
Music: Anthony Michael-Alexander
Premiere: May 2007- The Joyce Theater (New York)

Commissioned by Urban Bush Women, this work is inspired by the journeys of the fictional character Indiana Jones. Using quirky, swift, and dynamic movement, the dancers thrust their bodies into this dance as they set out on their quest that leads them to an unfortunate (yet light-hearted) end.

"..offered glimpses of why she is such an exciting choreographic prospect..." -The New York Times

SAND (2007)
12 Dancers, RT: 8:00 minutes
Music: Ricardo Romiero
Premiere: March 2007 (New York)

This is a work that explores the breeze and lightness of the particle. The stage is transformed into a platform of dynamic rushes andwater-like images.

 

 

NAHUM (2005)
12 Dancers, RT: 12:00 minutes
Music: Anthony Michael-Alexander
Premiere: April 2005- Ailey II The Joyce Theater (New York)

Commissioned by Ailey II, this work is an exploration of spiritual rejuvenation. In the beginning of the ballet, a young man, representing a lost soul, seeks God at the most sacred place of worship- igniting the beginning of a turbulent and desperate journey to reach a sense of enlightenment. Nahum, which means Comforter, celebrates the idea of resting in the care of perfect love.
SHELTER OF PRESENCE (2003)
5-8 Dancers, RT: 8:30 minutes
Music: Take 6 and Jamiek K. Potter
Premiere: August 2003- Queens Museum of Art (New York)

Commissioned by the Queens Museum of Art and Topaz Art, this work, represents the desperate need to be comforted by God's presence under His shelter of rest. Inspired by Psalm 27, this dance was originally created for an all male ensemble

"..Brown Scores! Her keen sense of choreography in ‘Shelter’ seamlessly guides
her to do the right thing at the right time."
-Amsterdam News

RHYTHMIC ELABORATIONS (2000)
Solo, RT: 5:00 minutes
Music: Traditional East Indian
Premiere: June 2001- Joyce SoHo (New York)

is a solo based on the compositional study of 'theme and variations.’ This work is set to East Indian music and uses quick gesturesand syncopated movement.

“There isn’t a cliché in sight…Brown reveals an arresting
individuality as both choreographer and performer.”
    - Deborah Jowitt- The Village Voice