Biography
Rejection has been my greatest liberator . . . the rejection of not always fitting into the ideal body led me to find my own voice through movement.
Born: 1979, Jamaica, NY
Camille A. Brown is a prolific Black female choreographer, who is reclaiming the cultural narratives of African American identity. Her bold work taps into both ancestral stories and contemporary culture to capture a range of deeply personal experiences. Ms. Brown has received numerous honors including a Guggenheim Award, Bessie Award, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, a Doris Duke Artist Award, a Dance Magazine award, a United States Artists Award, two Audelco Awards, five Princess Grace Awards, and a New York City Center Award. She has received a Tony nomination, three Drama Desk and three Lortel nominations for her work in theater. She is an Emerson Collective fellow, a TED fellow and the recipient of a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, among others. She is the 2021 Distinguished Artist, presented by The International Society for the Performing Arts. As Artistic Director of Camille A. Brown & Dancers, her driving passion is to empower Black bodies to tell their story using their own language through movement and dialogue. Before starting her Company, Ms. Brown was a dancer with Ronald K. Brown’s for five seasons. Ms. Brown is a graduate of the LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and received a B.F.A. from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Among her many performance and choreographic credits, Ms. Brown is the choreographer of The Metropolitan Opera’s Porgy & Bess. She made her feature film debut in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom directed by George C. Wolfe. Brown will made her directorial debut with the Broadway revival of for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf, Fire Shut Up in My Bones for The Metropolitan Opera (co-directed with James Robinson), and Ain’t Misbehavin’at Westport Country Playhouse.
City of Rain is an homage to Gregory “Blyes” Boomer, who passed away in 2009––Ms. Brown’s friend and fellow dancer. Camille A. Brown writes, “Tears flow, creating oceans of love and heartache. I wish my friend was still here. I miss his laugh, heart, and smile. Praying that he is finally at peace. Our friendship will last forever.”
Camille A. Brown's Works:
City of Rain
Premiere Date 2010