Bullet Points on Trisha Brown

Standard

What feels nice

  • I’m not supposed to think of “poses” or “steps” in this choreography because everything is a continuous chain reaction and nothing really is a still image. However, when I memorize the sequences some motions seem more like “rest” to me than “go,” and therefore please forgive me when I characterize this as a pose. We’re not static for this.
    One figure feels very nice. We have our legs apart in a large second position, one leg is bent, and our arms are spread out in a diagonal, perpendicular to our straight leg and our torso. It comes up several times in the phrases we do, and it feels like home.
  • I like the pony step where we step on bent legs and half toe as if we have hooves.
  • Several times we are on our knees and elbows on the ground, and usually our head is down. This is a great position because I am a little bit upside down, but I don’t feel like I’m falling. Which brings me to…

What doesn’t feel nice

  • Falling
  • Having a straight back while bent over is difficult to feel, especially without mirrors. My spine is twisted in several different directions despite years of wearing a brace, and usually what I feel and how my spine looks are quite different.
  • Similarly, rolling through my spine to lift my legs up in the air has given me a large bruise on one side of my spine. Is it better to roll off-center along the side of my spine, or fall on my back in a big block? Experiments continue.
  • Oh, also falling.
  • Did I mention falling?

What is confusing

  • What is the best technique for balancing on your shoulder? It is a precarious spot.
  • Do I point my foot in any spots?
  • Can I stop holding my head in a stiff position?

Analogies and images we’ve used

  • Furniture
  • Graham
  • Goats and ponies
  • Country dance girls
  • Sheets of metal moving past each other
  • Running men!
  • Boats 
  • Orbits