The Trisha Brown Dance Company is reviving Robert Rauschenberg's first choreographed dance, 'Pelican,' for the first time in 60 years. The single-night performance will take place at the vintage Xanadu roller rink in Brooklyn as part of a 'Pelican Gala,' which also features two long-unseen dances by Trisha Brown. The event coincides with the centennial of Rauschenberg's birth.
The revival highlights a pivotal, cross-disciplinary moment in 1960s art, where figures like Rauschenberg blurred the lines between visual art, dance, and performance. It underscores the enduring legacy of experimental collaboration and the ongoing effort to preserve and re-examine ephemeral works from this influential era, offering a fresh look at how artists pushed their practices beyond traditional studio boundaries.