Soliders and Satricon 2000 Jose Brown, Reed College class of 1971 Program notes to Brown's last performance "Soldiers": The title of this program, “Soldiers,” was suggested to me by casting the I Ching. Soldiers at their worst are murderers and despots, and at their best they are defenders and liberators. In either case, a soldier risks his/her life in combat. Even a nonviolent soldier. My dance and my life are one. This program is improvised solo dancing. I would like to offer a program of choreography and dancers, but my economic condition prohibits this. Coincidentally, I am Black, Gay, Native American, and HIV positive. Technically I have AIDS as my T 4 cell count is 9. I have been HIV positive for over eleven years. I do not expect to die of AIDS but I have come close to dying of poverty. Poverty is the greatest danger to our nation and to the world. Political organization is the only way to power. I am too independent to stay in an organization. Religion has always been my support. I cannot give my faith a name any more than I can describe my dance in one word. I dedicate this program to Judith Massee because she has remained my friend and encouragement and because of the significant contributions she has made to the world of dance. Brown's own writing and the memories shared by his friends sketch a portrait — though incomplete — of a brilliant artist who is “coincidentally Black, Gay, Native American, HIV positive,” and who is also desperately poor in late twentieth century America. We can view José's life as both a bold adventure and a cautionary tale. He was an accomplished professional whose path embraced contradictions. He was ambitious and impractical, foolhardy and wise, humble and imperious. He risked enormous discomfort and insecurity to practice his art. It may well be that he didn't have a choice. As he said it himself, his dance and his life were one., part 01 of 01

Soliders and Satricon 2000 Jose Brown, Reed College class of 1971 Program notes to Brown's last performance "Soldiers": The title of this program, “Soldiers,” was suggested to me by casting the I Ching. Soldiers at their worst are murderers and despots, and at their best they are defenders and liberators. In either case, a soldier risks his/her life in combat. Even a nonviolent soldier. My dance and my life are one. This program is improvised solo dancing. I would like to offer a program of choreography and dancers, but my economic condition prohibits this. Coincidentally, I am Black, Gay, Native American, and HIV positive. Technically I have AIDS as my T 4 cell count is 9. I have been HIV positive for over eleven years. I do not expect to die of AIDS but I have come close to dying of poverty. Poverty is the greatest danger to our nation and to the world. Political organization is the only way to power. I am too independent to stay in an organization. Religion has always been my support. I cannot give my faith a name any more than I can describe my dance in one word. I dedicate this program to Judith Massee because she has remained my friend and encouragement and because of the significant contributions she has made to the world of dance. Brown's own writing and the memories shared by his friends sketch a portrait — though incomplete — of a brilliant artist who is “coincidentally Black, Gay, Native American, HIV positive,” and who is also desperately poor in late twentieth century America. We can view José's life as both a bold adventure and a cautionary tale. He was an accomplished professional whose path embraced contradictions. He was ambitious and impractical, foolhardy and wise, humble and imperious. He risked enormous discomfort and insecurity to practice his art. It may well be that he didn't have a choice. As he said it himself, his dance and his life were one., part 01 of 01, Box: 5.15, Object: 687DVD. Reed College AV collection, CA-AV-RSCA-ORPR-US. Reed College Special Collections and Archives. https://archivesspace.reed.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/37705 Accessed April 20, 2025.