46th Dance on Camera Festival, July 20-24, Lincoln Center

Between Yourself and Me--a documentary on the innovative immersive theater works of Third Rail Projects--will screen at the 46th Dance on Camera Festival this month at The Walter Reade Theater.

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For most of its 80 minutes, Lucinda Childs, Great Fugue by Beethoven (France, 2017) stays confined within the studio bubble, offering outsiders a dry, if rare, insider's view of the making of a contemporary ballet by one of the queens of New York postmodern dance. French filmmaker Marie-Hélène Rebois captures the choreographer at work with Lyon Opera Ballet to master the challenging surprises of a Beethoven piece. Dancers' sleek bodies skim across a tall, wide expanse of window panes in cool, fluid, friction-less partnering (which, with just a touch of daring, easily could have been rendered same-sex and gender-nonconforming). Happily, the final twenty-or-so minutes give us a handsome finished work--intricate for all its quiet lack of fuss; airy and shot through with light. World premiere Monday, July 23 (6pm) at the 46th Dance on Camera Festival, co-presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association.

Also, check out the festival's world premiere of Between Yourself and Me (USA, 2017; 28m), co-produced with Dance Films Association, a look at acclaimed immersive theater troupe Third Rail Projects (Then She Fell) and Gravity Hero (USA, 2018, 70m), Trey McIntyre's reflection on his decision to shut down his successful, ten-year-old Boise, Idaho dance troupe.

Dance on Camera runs from Friday, July 20 through Tuesday, July 24 with all films screening at The Walter Reade Theater. For schedule information and tickets, click here.

The Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue), Manhattan

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Danni Gee celebrates Ailey and ten years with SummerStage

Danni Gee performs her solo
in Judith Jamison's Riverside.
(photo: Roy Volkmann
for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater)

On Wednesday, August 16, Dance Films Association and SummerStage will co-sponsor a screening of Great American Dance: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield.

In addition to Revelations, the beloved Ailey signature piece, the documentary features Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, Ronald K. Brown’s Grace, Robert Battle’s Takademe as well as behind-the-scenes interviews with members of the troupe. Doors open at 7pm, and the screening starts at 8pm.

The screening is free and will be preceded at 6pm by a special Revelations workshop, which is also free. To attend the workshop, you must pre-register with an RSVP to: RSVP@CityParksFoundation.org.

Danni Gee, formerly a principal dancer with Philadanco and Ailey, celebrates her tenth season this year as curator of dance for New York's SummerStage. Below, read her reflections on recovering from career-ending hip injury, pursuing her passion for music and the happy opportunity, now, to partner with Dance Films Association in presenting an evening devoted to the glories of Ailey.

Danni Gee and Leonard Meek in Ailey photo shoot
(photo: Andrew Eccles)

EYA: I'm curious about any support you might have called upon as you moved towards a new career following your dance injury. Who or what could you call upon--particularly as a woman and as a woman of color--for practical or psychological or moral support as you stepped into an important new role?

DG: When I initially stopped dancing, I went into a pretty deep depression. My family helped as best they could, especially my mother, but in hindsight, I should have gotten professional help. Getting therapy, unfortunately, was something that was frowned upon; too much stigma attached to it.

I believe what saved me was turning to music. I reconnected with Kathy Sledge, of Sister Sledge, whom I worked with as a backing dancer briefly before joining Alvin Ailey, and she hired me again, but this time as a singer. I toured with her for close to eight years as "the baby sister." Around this time, I also started my band Suga Bush. Writing and performing really helped me through that dark time.

I did seek help years later, as there was still lingering sadness. My therapist helped me properly mourn the loss of my dance career and fully embrace my new life.

EYA: What challenges did you face in the beginning? How did you learn to cope with them?

DG: In the beginning, the challenges were mostly dealing with the loss of my dance career and artist life. So much of my identity had become enmeshed with being an "Ailey dancer." Along with that, there were some financial challenges. I received compensation, as it was a work-related injury, but it is only a portion, as you know, of your salary and doesn't last forever. Thankfully, I naturally have a pretty buoyant personality. I refused to let myself get too down as I was truly grateful to have had at least the experience to dance for two such wonderful companies [Philadanco and Ailey].

I eventually landed in fitness and started teaching aerobics. I was also starting to make some money from singing which was great. I have been blessed to not only sing with Kathy Sledge but also Gloria Gaynor and Cher.

The position with SummerStage literally fell in my lap some ten years after I stopped dancing. I was recommended for the position by then-Theater Director, Freedome Bradley. Initially, the challenges came in the administrative side of the position: drafting contracts, artist payments, etc. I had never done that kind of work before. I had a great set of people around me and a fantastic mentor in Alexa Birdsong, who was the Director of Arts at the time. The other difficult part was having to say no to artists and companies who were looking to perform at the festival. Some of these people were friends I've known through my own dancing career. But, over time, I learned that not everyone is ready, and being truthful is best.

EYA: What has been some of the rewards of working as a curator for SummerStage?

DG: The biggest reward for me has been giving a platform to some truly talented artists who might not otherwise have been given such an opportunity in this city and definitely for companies of color. It's also rewarding for me to know that I am continuing Alvin Ailey's mission of "giving dance back to the people." I think concert dance can still feel very exclusionary to people, and I want our audiences to know that dance is for everyone. The other joy has been reconnecting with dancers and choreographers I've known for over 20 years, either through booking them to appear at the festival or having them attend a performance.

EYA: What lessons and values did you take away from your years with Philadanco and Ailey that you have found invaluable in your work in music and in curation?

DG: Discipline, discipline, discipline. You have to do the work to get results. Good time management is also key. And staying healthy, especially when we're in season. And being a team player. Knowing how to navigate through various personalities whether as a leader or part of the group is important. When you've toured with forty people for sometimes up to three months at a time, you learn this. And respect for others' time, space and individuality.

EYA: What's most exciting for you about the SummerStage screening of Great American Dance: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater?

DG: I am excited to share a film about a company that has been such a HUGE part of who I am and who I STILL am. Also, with this being my 10th anniversary season, I wanted to celebrate my legacy with SummerStage which includes dancing on this very stage with Ailey in 1993!!! I also love these ballets that are going to be shown in the film. It really shows the breadth of the company's repertoire and talent.

EYA: Tell us about the pre-screening Ailey dance workshop at 6pm.

DG: The workshop will be led by the amazing Nasha Thomas, also a former Ailey dancer. We were in the company together at the same time. She is now the National Director of AileyCamp/Spokesperson & Master Teacher for Arts In Education. I believe another Ailey diva from my time will also be on hand to assist, Miss Renee Robinson! The attendees will get to learn sections of Alvin Ailey's masterpiece "Revelations," namely, "I Been Buked," "Wade in the Water," and Rocka My Soul." It's the first time we've ever done a dance workshop at our Central Park location. I have them typically before all of my CityWide dance programs. Also, the class will take place on stage!

EYA: Do you have ideas or plans for future collaborations with Dance Films Association?

DG: Yes, I would love to collaborate with DFA in future seasons. They have been amazing to work with, with a special nod to Galen Bremer. Just lovely. I am looking forward to discussing several ideas for next year.

EYA: New York City has put an enormous effort into delving into how its arts organizations can better reflect and serve its many communities. When you think about our city's needs--and the needs of artists--what's top of mind for you?

DG: Maintaining diversity. Making everyone feel included. The fact that we have so many free programs including music, dance, sports and so forth, is incredible. We are also doing a lot more surveying at our programs to see what the reactions are and to inquire what people would like to see in their communities. There needs to be an open dialogue so our participation in their neighborhoods is not a forced marriage.

For SummerStage, I think the increased dialogue with community leaders, residents and centers is key. Maintaining respect with the community is fundamental, and listening to feedback, good and bad, whether it's from our audiences or the artists themselves is necessary.

EYA: Is there anything else that readers should know or might like to know about you, about SummerStage 2017, about the DFA collaboration or this specific screening?

DG: About me? Well that I am still active in my music endeavors, that I am very passionate about the work that I do here at SummerStage and that if you see me out in the park, you can always come up and say hello!

We are about two thirds of the way through our season and we have some incredible shows coming up in August and some benefit concerts (ticketed events) going into October.

Specifically about the film? Just come and enjoy a nice night out in the park, watching a film about one of the most iconic dance companies in the world. There are some great on-camera interviews and rehearsal footage as well.  We may also have a special guest coming to introduce the film, but I can't give that away!

*****

SummerStage at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
(map/directions)


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Round-up: Turkish activism; Akerman closes in on Bausch; ballet fiction

Coming after a few dry presentations (Movement Research Studies Project panel on Vulnerable Bodies and the Embodiment of Resistance, Gibney Dance Center, May 6), Turkish dance artist Tan Temel held my attention with the clarity of his witness as a participant in the anti-development, Occupy-like protests in Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. His brief talk also greatly benefited from a slide show of vivid photos from the early days of the Taksim Gezi sit-in, demonstrating the activists' confident and peaceful creativity. Inspiring! (An audio recording of this panel will be made available on iTunes. Click here for play or download links to recorded Movement Research events.)

Chantal Akerman's 1983 film, One Day Pina Asked... (Dance Films Association screening/discussion at Gibney Dance Center, co-presented by Gibney Dance Center's Sorry I Missed Your Show, May 7), looks quite different from Wim Wenders's grand, gorgeous and better-known Pina (2011), and feels different, too. Akerman's choice of a passive but magnifying camera zoomed right in on Pina Bausch's dancers rehearsing or performing puts the viewer right into the mix. It's a dancer's-eye view. Remember the scene in Nelken (Carnations) where a pack of men crowd a lone woman, touching and increasingly manhandling her body? From a proscenium theater's potentially safe, intellectualizing distance, Bausch's imagery is already disturbing. But try it this way, and your skin will crawl. The encounter of two extraordinary artists--Akerman and Bausch--produced a documentary of rare sensitivity and power (distributed by Icarus Films).

Novelist Maggie Shipstead
(c) Michelle Legro

Astonish Me, a novel by Maggie Shipstead (Knopf, 2014), astonished me a bit less than I would have expected, given the raves from book critics, some of whom spun remarks off the title (derived from Serge Diaghilev's challenge to Jean Cocteau: Ètonnez-moi). And it almost lost me, early on, with its account of a bland suburban mismatch--the stay-at-home mom who fled a low-level ballet career and never got over a brush with international intrigue; the husband who desired her first, married her somehow, but still can never quite feel sure of her. But, in the nick of time, Shipstead won me back with a scene centered around a fit of inappropriate, uncontrollable and infectious laughter. That's when I threw in with this writer. Even so, I can't say that I ever came to like or feel empathy for her characters, two generations worth. I never really settled into the narrative's chronological jumble, and at no time did I think the central "secret" would surprise any character or reader. But I did enjoy and rely upon Shipstead's shrewd, finely rendered insights into the psychology of her characters and their relations. This is where she truly shines. (ISBN: 978-0-307-96290-4)

Tap--and a dancer's quest--explored in "Tap or Die"

"Tap is always 'coming back.' When's it going to get here?"
--Derick K. Grant

"There are a lot of our critics who would like to keep it on the corner. 
They'd like to keep it as folk art."
--Brenda Bufalino

"We've had too many people who we consider heroes die broke."

--Derick K. Grant

On Friday, January 31, meet filmmaker Jackie Paré at the 2014 Dance on Camera festival screening of Tap or Die, an hour-long documentary inspired by Boston-born tap artist Derick K. Grant and his still-unfulfilled mission to bring his celebrated 2006 show, Imagine Tap!, to Broadway.

Warm, vivacious and chock-full of interviews with numerous dance artists and experts, as well as vintage and contemporary performance footage, Tap or Die addresses both the undeniable triumphs and ongoing controversies within the tap dance field. It also makes a lot of fundamental insider stuff accessible and appealing to a broad audience--for instance, how the various parts of tap shoes are used to vary sound and how math is an essential part of the tap equation.

For more information on this screening and the full schedule for the Dance on Camera festival (January 31-February 4), click here.

Tap or Die 

(2013; 62 minutes)

Presented by 

Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association

Friday, January 31 (3:30pm)

Walter Reade Theater
Lincoln Center

165 West 65th Street (near Broadway), Manhattan

(map/directions)

Dance on Camera tickets go on sale:

December 10: Pre-sale for DFA and FSLC Members
December 17: General Public
Purchase tickets on FilmLinc.com

Film honors modern dancer Michio Ito

Review of Michio Ito: Pioneering Dancer-Choreographer
by Timothy Cowart, The DFA Blog, January 23, 2013

Interview with director Bonnie Oda Homsey
by Timothy Cowart, The DFA Blog, January 23, 2013

Farihah Zaman launches blog on Dance on Camera films

The Bangladesh-born film writer and documentary director Farihah Zaman contributes writing on the 2013 Dance on Camera Festival in a new blog you can find here.

Catch the livestream of our workshop on dance film, writing: Today at 5pm

Writing on Dance:Film
A WRITE OPEN workshop

Wednesday, December 12 (5-6:30pm)

Open to NYU Tisch Dance students only
Department of Dance, NYU Tisch School of the Arts
(Cherylyn Lavagnino, Chair)

co-presented by Dance Films Association and Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody

In this informal workshop, we will explore and write about excerpts from two exciting filmed versions of DV8 Physical Theatre's Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's Rosas danst Rosas.  Screenings will be presented by Brighid Greene (Communications Associate, Dance Films Association).  Writing exercises will be facilitated by dance writer Eva Yaa Asantewaa.

To catch the livestream of Writing on Dance:Film -- 5pm to 6:30pm today -- click here. Download student handout here.

Writing on Dance:Film -- a WRITE OPEN workshop

Eva Yaa Asantewaa (InfiniteBody and Collective for Dance Writing and New Media) and Brighid Greene (Dance Films Association) will present a workshop on Wednesday, December 12 for students from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Dance Department.

Writing on Dance:Film will challenge dance students to explore and write about excerpts from two exciting filmed versions of DV8 Physical Theatre's Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's Rosas danst Rosas.

The workshop--open to students only--is a presentation of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media's WRITE OPEN series in collaboration with Dance Films Association.

DFA is moving men...on screen

On Wednesday, November 7, Dance Films Association presents BEYOND THE STAGE: MOVING MEN ON SCREEN at 7:30pm at Dixon Place.

Riffing on Dixon Place’s popular series, Moving Men, DFA curates an evening of men dancing on screen for Beyond the Stage: Moving Men on Screen. Hosted by Vernon Scott, the evenings will transition from live performance to a collection of films created by, featuring, and celebrating the male dancer.  DFA will screen films by some of our fiscally sponsored projects alongside short dance films and other works in progress. The Lounge, the friendly, neighborhood LES bar in Dixon Place, will be open before at 6:00pm, during, and after the performance until midnight for theater patrons.

For ticket information (including discounts for DFA members), click here.

Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street (between Delancey and Rivington Streets), Manhattan
(map/directions)

Now from TenduTV: "The Co(te)lette Film"

The Co(te)lette Film (58:16)
Savage Film, Red Mullet, WArd/waRD (2010)

Director: Mike Figgis

Choreography: Ann Van den Broek

Winner, Best of Festival Award, Dance Camera West Festival 2011 (USA); Best Dance Film, Cyprus International Film Festival 2011 (Cyprus); Le Prix du Film sur l’Art, 11th Festival du Film sur l’Art (Brussels)

Watching Mike Figgis' film of Ann Van den Broek's provocative, award-winning dance production, Co(te)lette (2007), reminded me of how a colleague had raised an objection after a showing of Nicholas Leichter's work-in-progress, Twenty Twenty. This critic thought that aspects of that dance too often verged on the pornographic. I walked away thinking, Hmmm... Well, even if that were so, what exactly would be the problem with a choreographer dipping into this other site of the body's vulnerability and power? Twenty Twenty, as a lot of folks will readily tell you, is growing into an outlandish duet (with Leichter's amazing young dance partner, Bryan Strimpel), but if Twenty Twenty makes you squeamish, you're simply not ready for Co(te)lette.

Van den Broek has her three female dances start out down on all fours in short, lightweight skirts and sparkly ballroom shoes. Backsides to the camera. Butts twitching in precise, mechanical rhythm. A metronomic trio panting industrial breath. Butts sloshing like a washing machine's agitation. Torsos swerving with the big swoosh of a cleaning rag or scrub brush in a cleaning woman's sturdy and determined hand. Gazed at as if from directly behind, from overhead, from one side or another and... But wait: The camera pulls away to reveal that there are others coolly watching the women's all-in, increasingly ferocious action from the sidelines as if visiting a cage in a zoo.

Concert dance shies away from much of what follows in Co(te)lette but, by doing so, sidesteps its potential to illuminate this treacherous, ambiguous, suspended place between the real and the artificial, the danger of being embodied and sexual, particularly embodied and sexual as female in a world where straight men hold the lion's share of power. This idea might be usefully conveyed by words alone. But dance must also be there, and this dance is there.

Click here for The Co(te)lette Film from TenduTV.

"Dance Legacies" on film

from Sand directed by Cari Ann Shim Sham
(USA, 2010; 10 min)

The hour-long Dance Legacies program, a lesser-known gem of this year's Dance on Camera Festival, will present a spectrum of short-film topics--from Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's re-staging of her 1988 work, Shelter, in the wake of New Orleans' Katrina crisis to a look at the vaudeville tradition of sand dancing with father-and-son tappers Darrow Igus and Kenji Igus. The directors of all five films will be on hand to introduce their work.

Dance Legacies screenings are scheduled for January 30 and January 31 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. For more information on this program, click here. To purchase tickets, click your selected date under "Showtimes" (left-hand column).

Dance on Camera is a presentation of Dance Films Association and co-sponsored by The Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Dance on Camera
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street (between Amsterdam and Broadway), Manhattan
(map/directions)

How "Dance on Camera" grew

In advance of the 40th Annual Dance on Camera festival (January 27-31), its curator, Deirdre Towers, recounts its history.

A flash to the past
by Deirdre Towers, The DFA Blog, Dance Films Association, January 2, 2012

Moving images

Breath Made Visible (2009)
directed by Reudi Gerber
Argot Pictures
English; 80 min.

Anna Halprin

"My greatest love is dancing in the natural world. The birds dance and the clouds dance. Everything is in motion all the time," says Anna Halprin--movement shaman, the subject of this affecting portrait and chronicle by filmmaker Reudi Gerber.

Through vintage and more recent footage of performances and workshops as well as interviews with Halprin, her colleagues, her late husband, the landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, and daughter, the dancer and psychologist Daria Halprin, Gerber traces the arc of a life that remains, in this woman's ninth decade, open to the deep currents of the natural world, of society, of relationship and of the body.

Halprin's early-career decision to leave New York for California--to join Lawrence--removed her from the center of the dance world but presented intriguingly different environmental and social realties and rhythms to explore. Much later, a cancer diagnosis brought Halprin to another critical decision--to turn away from choreography and performance for the public and refocus her efforts on dance as a powerful modality for personal and societal healing.

Gerber has an eye for stunning imagery, a sensitivity for human feelings, and an awareness of the mythic quality of Halprin's narrative. He gives us a sweetly humble yet heroic woman whose concern for people and loving engagement with life are instructive and inspiring. Breath Made Visible brought me to tears.

Purchase Breath Made Visible here.

Find a theater screening of Breath Made Visible here.

*****

Lovers of dance film, hang on. Next year, shockingly, is not that far off! The 40th Annual Dance on Camera Festival will open at Lincoln Center, January 27-31, celebrating "the immediacy, energy, and mystery of dance combined with the intimacy of film."

Look for director Ron Honsa's Never Stand Still--a grand, kaleidoscopic exploration of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, down through the ages and up to the minute, narrated by Bill T. Jones and featuring...well, featuring just about everyone and every kind of dance you can imagine. It's a beauty. (2011. 74 min.)

If you've already enjoyed Check Your Body At The Door, producer Sally Sommer's fantastic documentary about underground house dancing, you might want to follow up with director Ina Sotirova's freedom2dance. Going to Dance on Camera Festival? See both on the same night--January 31. Far more conventional in structure than GYBATD, Sotirova's documentary puts the struggle around New York's nightlife culture and social dancing into historical and political context. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Rudolph Giuliani!) Check out the Facebook page for freedom2dance. (2011. 20 min.)

Mis Caminos a Través de la Danza (My Paths Through Dance), written, directed and produced by Daniel G. Cabrero, tells the story of a young Spanish girl's early training in classical ballet in 1920s Paris and the fortuitous diversion of her career from ballet towards the Bolero and diverse regional dances of her homeland. Influenced by the legendary Antonia Mercé "La Argentina," the youngster grew up to become Mariemma (1917-2008), performer, choreographer uncompromising educator and ensemble director of international renown. She was a dancer of great verve and warmth, dedicated to a dramatic, sculptural clarity of movement.

This film marks Cabrero's full-length feature debut, and he has a charming story to tell and a treasure trove of documentation--vintage photos, footage and prints--as well as contemporary interviews with colleagues, students and dance critics. Instead of injecting cutesy (and cringe-worthy) animated elements into the story's flow, Cabrero would have done well to place more trust in his wonderful historical materials. They are more than enough. If you can overlook these occasional lapses in taste, and the often awkward, sloppy English subtitles, there's a lot to learn and to enjoy. (2010. 90 min.)

For full information on the program and schedule of the 40th Annual Dance on Camera Festival, visit these links:

Dance Films Association

Film Society of Lincoln Center

Tendu TV's Dance on Camera channel on Hulu

DFA's dance film competition for HS students

Dance Films Association announces
First Annual High School Student Film Competition

Capturing Motion NYC

Call for entries
Deadline: January 2, 2012

Click here for more information on this competition and for upcoming workshops at the Beacon School.

Click here to download an application.

Legal issues in choreography and dance

Dance Magazine and Dance Films Association present

Legal Issues in Choreography and Dance

Thursday, October 20, 4pm

This class will provide an overview of the legal issues that affect non-profit and for-profit dance companies, individual creators, choreographers, and performers, such as dancers. Topics discussed include: business entity formation, intellectual property protection, rights of publicity, licensing, and labor and employment. This class will be taught by Elena M. Paul, Esq., VLA’s Executive Director. All registration fees are non-refundable.

Registration fees, form and other details here

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
1 East 53rd Street (between 5th and Madison Avenues), Manhattan
(map/directions)

Erin Brannigan examines dance on film

Continuing the Conversation
Erin Brannigan’s Dancefilm: Choreography and the Moving Image
reviewed by Terry Sprague

Dance films and performance at Stuyvesant Cove

Dancing in Public 

an outdoor evening of both live and filmed public performance

produced by Dance Films Association and presented by Solar One in Stuyvesant Cove Park’s eco-theater

September 7 at 7pm

Solar1 Green Energy, Arts and Education Center

Stuyvesant Cove Park

23rd Street and FDR Drive, Manhattan

Click here for map and directions.

Free. Donations accepted.

As a part of the Solar One Dance Program, Dancing in Public will begin with a reception featuring live performance created by Rebecca Brooks, with dancers Ursula Eagly and Emily Wexler.  The evening will progress with dynamic screenings of several dance film shorts curated by Jennifer Edwards, Content Creator/Founder of JenEd Productions, and Christy Park, Executive Director of Dance Films Association.  The pieces speak to various interpretations of dance and public space. Moving ‘bodies’ range from construction equipment to school children, and dancing is carried out in spaces ranging from deserts to grocery stores to Grand Central Station. Works by OK GO, JenEd Productions, David Hinton, and Anthony Atanasio – allow something for everyone yet promises to effortlessly carry viewers on a journey through shifting landscapes and genres.  A Q&A with the choreographer and filmmakers will follow the screening.

Filmmaker Saura's vision: "Flamenco, Flamenco"

Film review: Flamenco, Flamenco (Spain, 2010) by Carlos Saura

by Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Dance Films Association Journal, February 25, 2011

Movement Research presents dance film shorts

Movement Research Studies Project
in partnership with Dance Films Association

Dance On Camera

Tuesday, January 25th, 7pm

Judson Memorial Church Meeting Hall
55 Washington Square South, Manhattan
(directions)

Free admission. No reservations.

A shorts program curated by Movement Research 2010 Artists-in-Residence Anna Azrieli, Laurie Berg, Yve Laris Cohen and Chase Granoff, in collaboration with Dance Films Association Director Deirdre Towers, this event is a part of DFA's 39th Annual Dance on Camera Festival.

The evening's viewing and discussion will radiate out from an initial grouping of three short films selected from submissions to Dance Film Association's 2011 Dance On Camera Festival. Each film centers around movement in relationship to landscapes, ranging from the natural world to the urban environment. The films posit the moving body as an active agent that designs its surroundings, while still being subject to the sublime. The second part of the evening features films and videos selected by the curators, responding to issues brought up by themes in the original films, as well as this event's curatorial process. Samuael Topiary will moderate a discussion that engages all of the films and discourses surrounding this event.

30 CECIL STREET [Dan Canham/Will Hanke, UK, 2010, 7:20m]

Shot in the dilapidated premises of the Theatre Royal in the Limerick Athenaeum building, Ireland. With a history that stretches back over 150 years, the Royal Theatre has been closed to the public for the last 13 years. Engaging with the atmosphere and past of this near-derelict building and using the soundtrack made up of four sounds and interviews with people associated with the Athenaeum, this short explores the state of a building once the hub of cultural activity.

 DUNE DANCE [Zena Bibler, USA; 2010, 2:08m]

Dune(s) dance on a blustery day in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Choreographed, danced, and filmed on the spot in May 2010.

 OANNES [Ivo Serra, USA; 2007, 6m]

Oannes represents The GOD of knowledge to the Babylonian (Ea) and to the Greeks, cultures, and he was the last mythological figure to be connected with the lost city Atlantis. The artist sought to make this mythological being appear.

"(Black) Light" by Deirdre Towers

(Black) Light from Dance on Camera on Vimeo

A contemporary take on a ritual devised by the Gypsies to free themselves of their past and embrace the light. A screen adaptation for Katherine Crockett, principal of Martha Graham Dance Company, based on a flamenco solo choreographed by Deirdre Towers set to the music of Paul Jared Newman with a sculpture by Macedonian artist Bojan Mitrevski and cinematography by Dikayl Rimmasch, director of the American Masters documentary on Cachao.

Premiered in Chicago as part of Dance for the Camera 2010: R.E.M. / Dreamscapes. Other showings include NJ State Film Festival at Cape May, Dance Camera Istanbul, and Big Screen Project, NYC.