Part of Hancher’s 53rd season

First performed in 1970 in downtown New York City by Trisha Brown and Carmen Beuchat, Floor of the Forest is danced upon a sculptural steel frame holding up a web of ropes that have been threaded with colorful used clothing. Climbing onto the apparatus, two dancers weave their way across the structure by putting on and then taking off the clothing, occasionally pausing to allow gravity to pull their bodies toward the floor while the clothing acts as a cocoon or hammock. Floor of the Forest will be staged for UI Dance students by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia.

The installation will open from 12:00 p.m. through 3:10 p.m. and be activated by performers at 12:40 p.m. and 2:10 p.m.

There is an additional special performance of Floor of the Forest, activated by Grant Wood Interdisciplinary Arts Fellow Kyle Marshall, as part of the In Plain Site performance on Wednesday, November 5 in the Visual Arts Building. In Plain Site will be performed by the Trisha Brown Dance Company, followed by Marshall’s activation of Floor of the Forest.

“The Trisha Brown Dance Company are masters of subtlety and nuance… their movement vocabulary, while often understated, is incredibly rich and complex, revealing layers of meaning with each gesture.” – The Guardian

Floor of the Forest Website