Katrina Brown (UK/NL)
Interdisciplinary choreographer working across performance, drawing & artist page
Katrina Brown was based for 23 years in The Netherlands with choreographic work supported by Amsterdam City and Dutch national funding bodies and co-produced by [Nes]theaters Amsterdam between 1990-2004. She completed the masters programme in Choreography and New Media at Dance Unlimited, Theatre School Amsterdam 2004- 2006 producing works including HandsUp/HandsDown, FLAA_T, and Echo Echo that incorporated drawing into performance and designing the website Moving-Drawing: An Archive of Traces. She has developed research projects with support from L’Animal à L’Esquena in Spain, Het Veem Theater Amsterdam, Centro Coreografico de La Gomera, CAST Helston, Šilainia-Project Lithuania and more recently Dance4 Nottingham and a-n [Artist Newsletter].
She makes solo performance and also works in collaboration including with artist-writer Emma Cocker (Dorsal practices 2021-ongoing), artist Frankie Williams (various 2020-ongoing), choreographer Rosanna Irvine (performance-installation and artist-book what remains and is to come and the video-installation surface/sphere, commissioned by Siobhan Davies Dance/ID for What Festival 2012-2016).
She is part-time Senior Lecturer Dance & Choreography at Falmouth University. Her practice-based PhD, intersect/surface/body: A Choreographic View of Drawing (2018) University of Arts London/Falmouth University, investigated drawing as choreographic activity in relation to material, score and surface dimension through a series of live and documented works; proposing a ‘quiet political’ presence of a performing body.
Selected Projects
Dorsal Practices, murky back thinking a collaboration between choreographer Katrina Brown and writer-artist Emma Cocker, exploring the notion of dorsality through somatic movement scores and experimental language-based practices in relation to how we as moving bodies orientate to self, others, and environment. https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1311616/2239786
Between Sol and sea and grey a project bringing together young street dancers from TR14-ers Camborne and undergraduate dance students from Falmouth University to work in the gallery with the reconstructed Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing #1136. Performed at Last Weekend Festival May 2022. A TATE St.Ives Commission. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/between-sol-and-sea-and-grey
sound of Sound an audio-conversation piece on Plymouth as a port and haven, on nautical limits and peripheral belonging, in collaboration with Sarah Scaife commissioned by CAMP (Contemporary Arts Membership Devon-Cornwall). 2021.https://www.camp-membership.org/go-and-see/
tilt-rhythm-back ongoing research project 2019-21 with dancers Maria Evans, Zach McCullough, Yi Kwek, sound artist Rob Gawthrop and writer Emma Cocker with support from a-n bursaries and Dance4 Nottingham.
and a body is scored too mix-media installation of drawing, projection and performance as part of the Exhibition Embodied Lines at the Drawing Centre Diepenheim The Netherlands. September 2019-January 2020.
Stillpoint collaboration on performance and film with Tabatha Andrews as part of her extended research around listening commissioned by Kings College London. 2019-20.
Writing body, Annotating gesture: a performance-lecture. SAR #10 [Annual conference Society for Artistic Research] Zurich 2019
Assembling in the hall Residency and performance CAST UK August 2017
http://assemblinginthehall.wordpress.com
Stilled: tilt/linger/concrete/ documenting body-place Silainia-project Kaunas Lithuania November 2017
surface/sphere 2016 Video installation by Katrina Brown & Rosanna Irvine
Commissioned by Siobhan Davies Studios and ID London for What Remains Festival May 2016.
Translucent surface/Quiet body A research project around documenting drawing from beneath the surface. Developed in residency at L’Animal a L’Esquena 2014-2015 and on the artist-page Performance Research ‘On An/Notations’ 2015 and the gallery wall Falmouth Photography Gallery 2017.
what remains and is to come – a collaboration Katrina Brown & Rosanna Irvine
Performance installation 2013 – ongoing. Presented internationally including at Het Veem Theater Amsterdam 2013, Contexts Festival of Ephemeral Arts Sokolovsko Poland 2015, The Nightingale Brighton, Backlit Gallery Nottingham, Actionable Image Symposium/BadCo Zagreb, KARST Plymouth and Tramway Glasgow 2016.
She’s only doing this: scores 2012- ongoing. A series of large-scale and durational solo drawing performance events. Performed at Dartington Space, MPA Berlin, Extrapool Nijmegen Netherlands, Draw to Perform 1 London , Draw to Perform 4 (2017) Fabrica Brighton.
Etsbeest in collaboration with singer/voice artist Han Buhrs. A performance event for and with pre-school children. Since 2008 the project has been invited to festivals, urban projects and symposia in France, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and UK. www.etsbeest1.wordpress.com
Qualifications
B.Ed Mathematics First Class Honours 1979-1983
IOKAI Shiatsu Diploma, School for Iokai Shiatsu 2000-2004
Masters Choreography/New Media, Dance Unlimited, AHK, Amsterdam 2004-2006
PhD intersect/surface/body: A Choreographic View of Drawing UAL 2017
Selected Publications
BACK PIECES: CIRCLING, TUMBLING, DANCING AROUND. Choreographic Practices Journal. Volume 13 Number 2. pp.145-163. Intellect Ltd 2022.
MOTH LIGHT TRACE. A pagework as part of FrontPageBackPageCentreFold, a CAMP publication of selected works by Devon/Cornwall Artists. November 2022.
.BEHIND FROM APPEARS NOTICING: Journal for Theatre Dance & Performance Training. Eds C-Dare Coventry and Independent Dance London 2021.
WORKING LOW: Chapter 3 in Body, Space, Place : Drawing in Collective & Collaborative Drawing editors Journeux, Gorrill, Reed. Cambridge Publishing 2020
TRANSLUCENT SURFACE/QUIET BODY, REDISTRIBUTED. JAR (Journal for Artistic Research) #18 2019 https://jar-online.net/exposition/abstract/translucent-surfacequiet-body-redistributed
STILLED: tilt/linger/concrete. Artist document. Commissioned by Šilainiai Project, Artist-in-Residence Programme Nov 2017.
ASSEMBLED: tilt/dust/rhythm. Artist document. Extending out of a residency at and financially supported by C-A-S-T (Cornubian Arts & Science Trust) Helston Oct 2017.
Translucent surface/Quiet body. Artist Pages pp.101-105
Performance Research 20 (6) ‘On An/Notations’ December 2015
She’s only doing this: scores. Artist Pages pp.90-92
Theatre, Dance & Performance Training 7 (2) ‘On Showing and Writing’ 2016
what remains and is to come : A Document 2014. Artist book by Katrina Brown & Rosanna Irvine, including essays by Ramsay Burt, Mark Leahy and Ivana Ivković. Supported by Arts Council England and DANCE4 Nottingham. Books on the Move
what remains and is to come Katrina Brown & Rosanna Irvine
Artist pages pp.92-94. Performance Research 17 (4) ‘On Ecology’ August 2012
what remains and is to come Katrina Brown & Rosanna Irvine. S&F Online 10.3 2012 Part 3
Art Praxis http://sfonline.barnard.edu/feminist-media-theory/
An Essay: that folds back to a memory of walking on chalk paths in Danswetenschap in Nederland Deel 5” 2008 Vereiniging voor Dansonderzoek/Utrecht University, NL.
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Artist Residencies
2023 (upcoming August) Hospitalfield, Arbroath, Scotland.
2022 (November) PAF (Performing Arts Forum) St.Erme France
2022 (September) RAME Projects, Rame Peninsula Cornwall
2019 Dance4 Nottingham, with additional funding from a-n Bursary scheme
2018 (Dec) Extrapool Nijmegen The Netherlands
2017 (November) Silainiaproject, Kaunas, Lithuania
2017 (August) CAST, Helston, Cornwall (Assembling in the Hall)
2014 (June) L’Animal a L’Esquena Catalonia Spain. Translucent surface/Quiet body
2008 (November) Het Veem Theater Amsterdam Time has No Colour
2008 (September)Centro Coreografico de La Gomera Time has No Colour
2007 L’Animal a L’Esquena Catalonia Spain Archive of Traces (website design)
2006 L’Animal a L’Esquena Catalonia Spain, Openbook with artist Alexis Blake
Selected Works 2000-2009
Time has No Colour 2008 -2011
An enquiry into encounter and (in)equalities of difference in collaboration with son Juno Brown and dramaturge Igor Dobricic. Residencies and presentations at Centro Coreographico de La Gomera 2008, Het Veemtheater Amsterdam 2009 and Brighton Fringe Festival 2011 www.colourbk.wordpress.com
Scratching The Surface A performance installation of video, drawings and live performance.The Dartington Gallery, Devon UK April 2009
Snail Gallop and other Scores, a collaborative research into the architectures of moving/drawing/thinking with Berlin-based choreographer Malgven Gerbes at The Dartington Gallery 2010, Space 2011 and Berlin Tanzfabrik 2013.
Moving/Drawing/ An Archive of Traces : Website, supported by and developed at Dance Unlimited MA programme, Amsterdam Theatre School and L’Animal a L’Esquena, Spain 2006. https://www.katrinabrown.net/moving_drawing/index.html
Openbook, residency collaboration and presentation with visual artist Alexis C Blake. The making of a book (in) movement in space, L’Animal a L’Esquena, Spain 2007. www.openbook1.wordpress.com
Urban Explorers Festival, Dordrecht 2007 a commission for a site-specific performance route Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Dancers Aimar Perez, Maria Mavridou and Kyunsun Baek.
A Singular Gesture 2006, solo performance and video installation.
Dansateliers Rotterdam and Tanzfabrik Berlin.
Waterman 2003
Short Film Commission for a Body of Water; Coproduced by BBC Dance for the Camera UK and NPS Television, Netherland.
Amoeba Blues 2002-2003
Concept and choreography by Katrina Brown in collaboration with dancers Helena Lizari, Lucas Condro and composer Han Buhrs. Produced by [Nes]theaters Amsterdam and funded by Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten Netherlands.
A Man 2000
Concept and choreography by Katrina Brown in collaboration with dancers Lily Kiara, Khosro Adibi, Mat Voorter and composer Han Buhrs. Produced by [Nes]theaters Amsterdam and funded by Amsterdamse Fonds voor de Kunsten.
Performance 1990-2000
Katrina studied at The School for New Dance Development 1987-88 and Perron II with Trude Cone and visiting artists 1986-88. She performed and toured in dance productions of Breda-based choreographer Tamara Huilmand including Feestlokaal and Ons Bed is de Boot 1988-1990, later collaborating with Tamara Huilmand in two duet projects Nummer 101 and Nummer 102: Twee Vrouw 1993-94.
From 1990 she created solos (By the Way 1990, Greenriverredriver 1992) and group dance productions supported by Amsterdam City and National Fonds voor de PodiumKunsten and co-produced by DansWerkplaats Amsterdam, JuliDans Festival and [Nes]theaters Amsterdam between 1990-2004.
Ha Ha Sob Sob 1995 was her first group choreography in which she worked with composer Bas van Waard, projections/set design Pim van den Wijngaard and dancers Paulien Haakma, Birgit Kersbergen and Maxi Hill. Production DansWerkplaats Amsterdam and Julidans Festival.
Divas, Cowboys en Foute Feesten 1997 followed and was a series of seven portraits choreographed in collaboration with Maxi Hill, Laura Moro, Lily Kiara, Helena Lizari, Vincent Cacialano and Mat Voorter, produced by Frascati Theater Amsterdam.
Dance you Monster…. 1995 was a collaboration with trumpeteer Rajesh Mehta, for Melkweg Productions. In 1997 she began a long-standing collaboration with songwriter Han Buhrs with the duet Kip zonder Kop produced by [Nes]theaters Amsterdam, later collaborating on the dance productions A Man and Amoeba Blues and the performance event for young audiences Etsbeest.
She was a regular guest teacher at the School for New Dance Development Amsterdam introductory course, at Dartington College of Arts and for semi-professional dancers at Dansdrift and Stichting Buitenkunst.