In 1962, Rauschenberg worked with choreographers and dancers Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Alex and Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, and others through the experimental dance group Judson Dance Theater, named after Judson Memorial Church, which lent space to the group for rehearsal and performances. The church was known for being a haven for creative experimentation and freedom of speech among artists since the 1950s. The Judson Dance Theater group dispensed with narrative, music, costume, and the proscenium stage—much of what had defined the vocabulary of traditional dance— and posited that any type of movement could be considered dance, not only the technically demanding steps of both ballet and modern dance. Rauschenberg was key in shaping the cooperative approach to dance developed by Judson Dance Theater; he also provided the lighting and technical assistance, and participated in some performances.