Avant-garde dance, often perceived as overtly serious, reveals a delightful sense of humor and spontaneity, a quality vividly demonstrated in a recent rehearsal for 'Set and Reset.' This seminal work, which debuted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in 1983, is a testament to the collaborative genius of choreographer Trisha Brown, musician Laurie Anderson, and artist Robert Rauschenberg, who designed the costumes and sets. This weekend marks its return to BAM as part of the 'Dancing with Bob' tour, an international celebration of Rauschenberg's 100th birthday, alongside Merce Cunningham's 1977 piece, 'Travelogue,' also restaged by the Trisha Brown Company. These revivals offer a unique glimpse into the playful yet profound side of modernist performance art.
At its core, 'Set and Reset' embodies a profound artistic collaboration where individual creative autonomy thrives within a collective framework. Rauschenberg himself acknowledged the distinct visions of Anderson and Brown, explaining that their independent expressions coalesced without sacrificing their unique voices. The dancers on stage mirror this autonomy, their movements often appearing dissonant and disordered, yet never detracting from the overall aesthetic. Trust falls conclude with surprising twists, yet without harm, illustrating a controlled chaos. The choreography, conceived by Brown through a process of improvisational recording and repetition, captures a vibrant, spontaneous energy. A prolonged duet, emerging from this initial free-form movement, unexpectedly finds unison, only to gracefully diverge, showcasing a fluid interplay of synchronization and individual expression.
'Set and Reset' is far from merely minimalist; it bursts with engaging elements. Laurie Anderson's score, with its upbeat, synthy sounds and an exaggerated iambic pentameter chant of 'long time no see,' evokes a playful, slightly eerie atmosphere, akin to a G-rated haunted house. Rauschenberg's stage design further enhances this dynamic, replacing traditional opaque curtains with translucent scrims, allowing the audience to witness the dancers' graceful exits, giving the illusion of continuous flow. The dancers' loosely fitted, sheer, and geometrically patterned costumes add another layer of visual intrigue, creating an illusion of shifting forms. Similarly, 'Travelogue,' with its soundtrack by John Cage, employs random number generators to guide musicians in making bird calls or live phone calls, with varying volumes and durations. This innovative approach ensures each performance is distinct, weaving in ambient textures of the contemporary world, from bird clinics to government hotlines, adding an unexpected layer of narrative and depth to the visual spectacle.
The return of these seminal works reminds us that true collaboration in art flourishes when diverse perspectives are not just tolerated but celebrated. These performances transcend their original context, offering contemporary audiences an opportunity to witness the timeless appeal of artistic experimentation and the profound impact that creative synergy can have. They highlight that art, in its highest form, can be both intellectually stimulating and deeply enjoyable, pushing boundaries while remaining accessible and engaging to all.