Camille A. Brown: A visual history of social dance in 25 moves
Camille A. Brown leads her dance company through excavations of ancestral stories, both timeless and traditional, that connect history with contemporary culture. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
that emerges from a community.
by any one person.
that everyone can agree on,
and their creative identity.
traditions influenced our history.
from enslaved Africans' experience
to remember where they're from.
the slave owners' ban on drumming,
with drums in Haiti
of West Africa.
cultural traditions alive
that created this dance:
of Southern high society --
to throw shade at the masters.
was performed for the masters,
they were being made fun of.
improvisation and musicality,
near Charleston, South Carolina,
the freedom to kick their heels
community and connection;
can be traced back to the 19th century,
by Chubby Checker and Dick Clark.
become blurred.
took on even more visibility,
to evolve, grow and spread.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Camille A. Brown - Choreographer, educatorCamille A. Brown leads her dance company through excavations of ancestral stories, both timeless and traditional, that connect history with contemporary culture.
Why you should listen
Camille A. Brown is a prolific Black female choreographer reclaiming the cultural narrative of African American identity. She is a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow, Audelco Award recipient, four-time Princess Grace Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow, Jacob's Pillow Dance Award recipient, USA Jay Franke & David Herro Fellow, TED Fellow and Doris Duke Artist Award recipient.
Her Company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers (CABD), tours nationally and internationally. The repertory includes the Bessie award-winning Mr. TOL E. RAncE (2012), the Bessie-nominated BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play (2015) and ink (2017), which premiered at The Kennedy Center. CABD's community engagement platform, EVERY BODY MOVE, inspires collective action through the art of social dance and includes initiatives such as Black Girl Spectrum, Black Men Moving, The Gathering and more.
Brown has been commissioned to create concert dance works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco!, Urban Bush Women, Complexions, Ailey II, Ballet Memphis and Hubbard Street II.
In addition to her company works, Brown brings a passion for storytelling to her choreography for Broadway and Off-Broadway theater productions. Notable theater credits for her choreography include: Tony-winning Broadway revival Once On This Island, The Emmy-winning Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC as well as A Streetcar Named Desire, The Fortress of Solitude (Lortel Nomination) and BELLA: An American Tall Tale (Lortel Nomination), among others.
Brown graduated from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York City and she has a BFA from UNC School of the Arts. She is the choreographer for the upcoming Magic Mike The Musical and PAL JOEY, and she is movement director for Broadway's Choir Boy and Toni Stone.
Camille A. Brown | Speaker | TED.com