What is Brownbody?
Editor's Note: MinnesotaPlaylist asked some of our regular contributors to highlight under-rated or under-exposed companies. Adia proposed this company, Brownbody, who perform a truly unique mixture of dance and ice skating. Though their most recent production only played one weekend, you can see short excerpts of their work in this video.
Brownbody - Quiet As It's Kept from Minnesota Playlist on Vimeo.
Author's Note: During the post-show discussion, Deneane Richburg mentioned that the company - which is just now beginning to build capacity and momentum - doesn't yet have a YouTube channel. As a sometime-marketing professional, this drove me nuts. If the company is doing something unique that people can't yet wrap their minds around, then Brownbody needs to show people what they do.
However, Ms. Richburg went on to say that she learned during her time with another company that protecting the content of the work needs to be a consideration when the stories and material are sensitive topics. Taken out of context, clips for their work could be warped, twisted, or lose the original meaning completely. I understand this desire to be protective, because our artworks are our children, and we don't want our children to be a harmed in any way.
How does a fledgling company that tackles emotionally-charged topics let the world know what they do while keeping the work sacred? Does it need to be sacred? Or should we let our children stumble off into the world, hoping for the best but knowing that we can't protect them from every ill turn of fortune?
What do you think?
