Camille A. Brown - Dancer/Choreographer - Powerhouse

Camille A. Brown photo: Matt Karas

thatgirl caught up with choreographer Camille A. Brown while in transit between numerous rehearsals in NYC. She is rehearsing her own company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, in her first evening length work, "Mr. TOL E. RAncE", setting a new work for The Juilliard School's New Dances: Edition 2012 and rehearsing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as they prepare for their yearly engagement at New York City Center including performances of her "The Evolution of A Secured Feminine". She tells us that her most recent work (for Juilliard) is inspired by the movement of a whirlwind. It's no wonder considering the fact that her life seems to be moving at a dizzying pace these days and shows no sign of slowing down!

TG: Name one thing that you do very well but you enjoy the luxury of having someone do for you.

CB: Ha! I feel like I do everything and the things that others do for me are because I can't do them myself. I actually enjoy doing the things I do very well. 

Let me get out of work mode... driving. I LOVE to drive (do long distance sometimes), but it feels great to be driven around. This doesn't happen often so I live in the moment!

TG: How is setting works on other companies different than on your own company? What things do you enjoy most about each?

CB: I definitely have more of a process with my own company. There's more freedom. I can choose our rehearsal times and determine when I want the work we're creating to premiere. At most, I get 3 weeks to set a work on a company. I have to have a plan, get in, and get out. But sometimes the commission comes before the plan. That's when I embrace (I always do but more so here) the space as a living organism. The process creates the piece. 

Things I like about each:

Other companies: Because I'm constantly working with different bodies, it challenges me to try new things. It's always great to meet and work with new people. There are dancers who I've seen on stage and have looked forward to working with them in the studio. You really get to know a lot about a person. I love it.

My Company- It's my heartbeat. The dancers know me. I can be vulnerable, and share ideas. I can laugh, cry, whatever I need to do. They are in full support and vice versa. I  can also challenge myself conceptually because I have the time to do it. I can bring in teachers (dance and theater), to work with us- really take the time to hone my craft as a creator and theirs as performers. 

TG: What was the event in your personal history that has influenced your work the most?

CB: Life as a whole. The lessons I've learned- people I've met. They all lay the foundation of what I chose to say as a choreographer. 

TG: Tell us a little about "Memories" the work you recently set on Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

CB: "Memories" goes on the list as one of my favorite pieces. 

I remember first seeing Complexions in 1996. The way their bodies intertwined blew me away. I had no idea 16 years later I would be invited into the space to create movement for this magnificent company.

 "Memories", is a duet that is inspired by the vividness of memories. Memories of my college days, childhood, and grandparents. Time has moved on. I will never be that same person again, but can remember every detail about her. 

The dancers in this work are reliving their past, but consciously moving forward. It is not interactive in nature, but the dancers share the same space. The common denominator is that they are both remembering times past. They laugh, they cry, they contemplate...they live. 

TG: Share something that you believed when you were very young that you have found to be true now that you're older and wiser?

CB:*Adolescence is not the end of the world.

    *No one cares what pieces you were or were not in back in your college days.     *I in fact have the ideal body.

    *No one can tell me who I am and who I am not.

    *Life can surprise you. 

TG: One dance you wish you had choreographed or performed.  

CB: Wow! Dance: I would have to say my ultimate is Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal." I would've tried to pop something dancing so hard! 

Choreographed: This is a hard one because if I choreographed it it wouldn't be the same? How do you compare based on inspiration?

TG: Best MJ inspired dance moves -  Usher, Chris Brown or Justin Timberlake?

CB: Chris Brown- I think movement wise he takes the most risks. What made Michael Jackson unbelievable and untouchable was that he embraced EVERY aspect of dance. He would pop and lock, then bust out a pirouette. I have seen Chris Brown do the same. 

TG: Twitter or Instagram?

CB: Twitter. I like reading people's opinions on current events--especially when America is focused on the same thing i.e. the election. Some of the most intriguing, heartfelt, hilarious, stupid posts ever. LOL

TG: Does your work leave you any time for recreation? If so, what is your favorite way to unwind?
CB: Hanging with friends, watching tv... A vacation sings in the distance! 

TG: Bonus Question - Mad Men: Don Draper or Roger Sterling?

CB: Neither! Both womanizers :-/

The cast of "Memories" backstage at The Joyce Theater

Samantha Figgins*, Norbert de la Cruz III*, Mark Caserta*, Gary Jeter*, with musician Nick Demopoulos

*Complexions Contemporary Ballet

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xo,
thatgirl