The Argus: Brighton Festival 2012

They’ve been astounding audiences for more than three decades and this collection demonstrated why Trisha Brown Dance Company is still considered to be at the forefront of modern dance.

If You Couldn’t See Me was the opener, and perhaps the company’s most famous piece. As performer Leah Morrison swam around the stage, it wasn’t noticeable that her back remained towards the audience. The grace and smoothness of the choreography meant the eye was drawn to the measured moves rather than her lack of facial engagement, which is a testament to the hypnotism of the choreography.

One of Trisha Brown Dance Company’s most significant collaborations was For MG: The Movie, in which dance is complemented by Alvin Curran’s atmospheric, incidental music. Created in 1991, the cinematic soundtrack featured the screams of children, pulsing traffic and grinding metal, as the eight performers created an unnerving visual display that wouldn’t look out of place in an early David Lynch film. This balance of classical dances with modern, challenging movements, often repeating and reversing, married to an unpredictable score, is what defines Trisha Brown Dance Company. This often worked fabulously but was difficult to reconcile in Foray Forêt, during which an unseen marching band created a deafening, blustering chorus which distracted from the dances.

Despite this, Foray Forêt allowed Tara Lorenzen to shine as the company’s most captivating dancer. All eight of the performers were strong but Lorenzen’s fluid, energetic movements gave her an ethereal and fascinating quality. Newest work Les Yeux Et l’Âme was by far the least memorable and appeared the most dated, suggesting the dance company needs to continue being original and progressive if it is to maintain its success.