NEWS/

A warm welcome to the newest members of the TBDC family! A New York City native, Nakia Elliot was elected to our board this summer. We're excited have her expertise and perspective supporting the future of TBDC. Dancer Rochelle Jamila joined the Company in May 2024. A radiant snap from her first tour with TBDC to Madoo Conservancy earlier this month, we’re thrilled to witness her dancing and artistry shine.

Nakia Elliott is a capital markets attorney, who has worked in the legal department at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank since 2019.   Prior to joining Credit Agricole, Nakia worked for over 10 years as a capital markets attorney at large and mid-sized law firms in New York.  Nakia also has experience working with non-profit organizations.  Prior to graduating from law school, Nakia worked as a volunteer fundraiser for a non-profit organization in Ecuador.  Nakia received her law degree from Harvard Law School, a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Nakia grew up in Brooklyn, New York and has a love for dance and the arts.  

Rochelle Jamila is a Brooklyn based interdisciplinary artist, dancer, and womb/ birth worker hailing from Memphis, Tennessee. Rochelle graduated from Columbia University in 2017 with a B.A. in Dance and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. While attending Columbia, Rochelle performed works by Joanna Kotze, Alexandra Beller, and Colleen Thomas, and began her own choreographic journey. Rochelle has notably worked with Ebony Noelle Golden, Ogemdi Ude, Jasmine Hearn, Jodi Melnick, Beth Gill, Maria Bauman, Adia Whitaker, and Reggie Wilson, among others. Her choreographic practice imagines liberation inspired by Nature’s cycles, folk practices of the African diaspora, and the physical and psychic realms of women/bleeding people. Rochelle has shown work at Judson Church, Snug Harbor Botanic Garden, Triskelion Arts, The Buckman Theater, and University of Amsterdam. She is elated to join TBDC for the 2024/2025 season.

Join us in welcoming new Board Members, Tara Lorenzen and Stacy Spence! Both former dancers with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, we are thrilled to enter this new chapter of the company with their support. Learn more about them below.

Tara Lorenzen is originally from the hills of West Virginia. Upon graduation from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, she became a member of the Repertory Understudy Group under Merce Cunningham where she created an original role in EyeSpace as well as reconstructing earlier works such as Rune and Summerspace. She went on to join the Stephen Petronio Dance Company from 2008-2011. She has worked with Kimberly Bartosik, Christine Elmo, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Anna Sperber, Jodi Melnick, Beth Gill (Electric Midwife Bessie award for Outstanding Production 2011), and Maria Hassabi (Plastic Bessie award for Outstanding Production 2016). Since 2011, Tara has performed and taught master classes for the Trisha Brown Dance Company all over the world. Recently she assisted in the reconstruction of Trisha’s O zlozony/O composite (originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet) at the Pennsylvania Ballet and taught Set and Reset/Reset at La Manufacture in Lausanne, Switzerland, as well as the Centre National de la Danse in Pantin, France. Tara is currently a Visiting Associate Professor and Director of Dance at Bard College, where she has taught all levels of technique classes, created new course content in multidisciplinary practices, and coordinated partnerships between American Dance Festival, Gibney Dance, and Villa Albertine. She is a Cunningham Technique certified teacher and continues to investigate the role of John Cage’s works in all artistic practices.

Stacy Matthew Spence is a New York City based choreographer, teacher, and dancer. Stacy’s choreography has been commissioned by The High Line in collaboration with visual artist Ronny Quevedo, Danspace Project, The New School, Ishmael Houston-Jones’s Platform 2012: Parallels for Danspace Project, Tisch School of the Arts and London Contemporary Dance School. Stacy has been honored to perform in co/motion directed by Margaret Peak as part of Jason Moranʼs Whitney Biennial: Bleed, Deborah Hayʼs Blues as part of Ralph Lemonʼs One Fine Day at The Museum of Modern Art NY and Joanna Kotze’s BIG BEATS.

Stacy had the pleasure of dancing with The Trisha Brown Dance Company from 1997-2006, was Education Director 2018-2020 and continues collaborating with the company through teaching and re-staging Trisha's work. He has taught nationally and internationally at institutions such as The New School, Juilliard, Barnard College, Tisch School of the Arts, Manhattan Marymount College, London Contemporary Dance School, Centre National de Danse Contemporaine and Movement Research.

Stacy’s work has been supported through Gibney Dance in Process (DiP) Resident Artist 2022-23, Movement Research Artist Parent Residency; Movement Research Artist-in-Residence, Workspace Artist-in-Residence, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council NY; Manhattan Community Fund, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NY; New York Live Arts Studio Series Residency; Artist Residency at Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France.

Last fall, the Trisha Brown Dance Company (TBDC) was pleased to announce its new commission initiative in celebration of the legacy of trailblazing choreographer Trisha Brown. This initiative gives our 50+ year-old company an opportunity to engage with contemporary artistic voices that have a connection to Brown’s work, while reaffirming its primary role of preserving Brown’s legacy. We had an incredible premiere of our first commission at The Joyce Theater in May, Judith Sánchez Ruíz's Let's Talk About Bleeding.

This season, TBDC will premiere a new commission by choreographer and Director of the Center National de Danse Contemporaine (CNDC) in Angers, Noé Soulier. Produced by TBDC and co-produced by CNDC Angers, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef and Arpels and Festival d’Automne Paris, with the support of Villa Albertine, this commission will pay homage to the rich history TBDC has with France and its culture.

Reflecting on Trisha’s groundbreaking spirit of innovation, these commissions seek to enter Trisha’s choreographic legacy into dialogue with a new generation of artists.

We are pleased to announce that Kirstin Kapustik has been appointed as the company’s new Executive Director!

Kirstin has a long history as a performing arts leader and is highly experienced in strategic planning, fundraising, event management and program development.  Most recently, she served as the Executive Director for six years at The House Foundation for the Arts, Inc, a nonprofit that produces the work of multi-disciplinary artist Meredith Monk.  Prior to that role, she was Managing Director of Chez Bushwick, Inc., Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation in Brooklyn.  She has also previously held positions at Danspace Project, The Watermill Center, Whitney Museum of Art, and the Center for Performance Research.  Kirstin holds an MFA in Dance from Florida State University and an MBA from Penn State University.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kirstin as our new Executive Director,” said TBDC Board President Jeanne Linnes. “This is an exciting time for the company, and we know that Kirstin’s leadership skills, expertise in arts’ management and passion for dance will continue to keep Brown’s work alive with integrity and spirit.”

This year, the Trisha Brown Dance Company presented its first commissioned work after years of solely presenting the works of Trisha Brown. Under Kirstin’s leadership, TBDC will continue to engage with new artistic voices that have a connection to Trisha’s work while also reaffirming the company’s primary mission of preserving her legacy. 

Kirstin said, “I am honored to be leading the company in its new chapter, building on Trisha Brown’s profound body of work and deepening her influence on the future of modern dance.”

Join us on the road this Winter in France!

• November 16, 17 - CNDC, Le Quai - Angers, FR
• November 21 - La Coursive - La Rochelle, FR
• November 24, 25 - Maison de la Danse - Lyon, FR
• November 28 - Opéra de Massy - Massy, FR
• December 1 - La Filature, Mulhouse, FR
• December 5 - Antipolis Théâtre d'Antibes - Antibes, FR
• December 7-9 - Maison des Arts Créteil - Créteil, FR
• December 12 - Théâtre du Beauvais - Beauvais, FR
• December 16 - Théâtre Jean Arp de Clamart - Chatillion, FR

We're thrilled to have the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels for this tour. 

TBDC is excited to announce it's 2023 Joyce Spring Season will incorporate a new commission by choreographer and TBDC alum Judith Sánchez Ruíz titled, "Let's Talk About Bleeding." This will be the first time the company presents work by a choreographer other than Trisha. We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter with a member of our TBDC family.

Read the NYTimes announcement here 

Congratulations to former TBDC dancer Amanda Kmett'Pendry and current TBDC dancer Patrick McGrath for their staging of excerpts from Working Title (1985) on the Second Avenue Dance Company for their December Concert. Reservations are available starting Monday, November 28. The performances will take place December 1-5, 7:30pm at the Jack Crystal Theater, 5th Floor, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, 111 2nd Ave, New York, NY.

Save the date: January 9 - 13, 2023 for our Winter Intensive.

Led by Todd Stone and Patrick McGrath

This year's workshop will take place in person, M-F at Eden's Expressway in New York, NY.

More details HERE | Registration HERE

Congratulations to Candoco Dance Company on their Bessie Award nomination!

Their performance of "Set and Reset/Reset" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music was nominated for Outstanding Revival. We're thrilled for Trisha's work to live on in new forms.

This project was directed by TBDC Alumni Abigail Yager and co-directed by TBDC Alumni Jamie Scott.
Learn more about the work and their process here.

Earlier this month, Tekla Fabrics created a collection of pajamas inspired by Trisha's 1971 Roof Piece. We were thrilled to collaborate with them on the project, and infuse the improvisational score into the pajamas. 

TBDC Alumni Jamie Scott worked on set with model Lily McMenamy to provide movement direction. Additionally, TBDC was asked to create their own TikTok in and around New York City.

Catch dancers Jennifer Payán, Jamie Scott and Hsiao-Jou Tang wearing the 'Red Collection' here. 

The full 'Red Collection' is available to view here.