Robots Dance

Robots are performing along with human dancers in a commissioned piece at Monclair State University in New Jersey.

The robots are the creation of Japanese artist Kenjiro Okazaki and are known as DekNobo. The name is derived from the Japanese word dekunobo which means a "useless wooden stick" or a "deadbeat person". Each robot is a wheeled shoe-box sized base with a 9 foot pole standing atop. They are controlled from offstage by Okazaki.

The dancing robots will perform with the Trisha Brown Dance Company in a piece called, "I love my robots."
The music was written by Laurie Anderson.


Trisha Brown is known for her innovative choreography. She says about dancing with the robots, "I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm very thrilled that I'm doing it. I just want to break out. I've predicated my entire artistic life on adventure, on discovering the new."
Brown, 70, was so taken by the charming robot sticks that she will dance with the company in the premiere. "I'm a different kind of moving animal now."

The performances are at the Alexander Kasser Theater on
January 18 & 20, 2007 • 7:30 PM
January 21, 2007 • 3:00 PM

More information: Peak Performances


Doing the Robot