Archive for the ‘screenings/events’ Category

Maya Deren: 50 Years On

Fifty years after the death of filmmaker and choreographer Maya Deren, the art and influence of one of experimental cinema’s most inspiring and charismatic figures is celebrated and explored. The British Film Institute will present a dedicated program of Maya Deren screenings and events on October 4-12 2011, BFI Southbank, London.

For more information visit Maya Dean: 50 Years On

Performa 11, one of two new festivals in NYC that defy artistic boundaries post-9/11

Like many people, the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11 brought up many “What if’s” for me. What would my life be like now if 9/11 hadn’t happened? What would my art look like? What would the fields of dance and dance film look like? And then after being baffled by those questions, I started to think about what actually did happen. How did September 11th, 2001 change my views of my artistic work, and my chosen field of dance?

For me, I wonder if I would have become obsessed with dance for the camera. Without the traumas of 9/11 and the political and cultural awakening it inspired in me, I might not have felt such an urgent need to seek other outlets for artistic expression. In an uncertain world, film and new media gave me hope that my artistic work could make a difference in the world. The feelings of mortality that were triggered by 9/11 made me desperate to be able to create work that would last (ie be able to be watched repeatedly) and the rage and violence that has surrounded the event (and still does to this day) gave me an urgent need communicate with people outside of my tiny circle of acquaintances. I felt that if we were to reconcile with our enemies and restore stability to our lives, then we had to start communicating and learning about each other. Live performance was too limiting for me, I needed to tap into media, and thankfully with the rise of broadband internet that became more possible than ever before. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are few screendance events in September that we recommend if you happen to be in these parts of the world.

In New York City:

White Box

by Noémie Lafrance/Sens Productions

The site-specific choreographic phenom, Noémie Lafrance is back with a new production, this time set inside the confines of a white gallery space. Over the course of three weeks, the performance will “evolve” and “mutate” based on audience responses during and after each show. Revolving around the social interplay between the audience and the performers, Lafrance takes the concept of site-specific to a whole new level. Oh, and each performance will also be followed by screenings of select dance films by Lafrance and her collaborators.

Dates
Gallery Opening: ‘White Box’ performance Teaser
Friday, Sept. 9 @ 7:00-9:00pm (free)

Performance: ‘The White Box Project’
Saturday, Sept. 10, 17 & 24 @ 4:30, 5:30, 6:30pm

Screening: Selected Dance Films by Noémie Lafrance
Saturday, Sept. 10, 17 & 24th @ 8:00pm (free)

Site
Black & White Gallery
483 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211

In Finland and on Twitter:

Alone or Not

Social Improvisation through Twitter.

Organized by Susan Kozel

13 September – 4 October 2011
www.aloneornot.org

Anyone can take part in this event in which participants send short SMS messages or tweets about their movement, actions and perceptions to each other to create a social network of bodily movement. The project will be documented as a shared choreography on Twitter. Check out the project website to learn how to participate. SMS is only available to people with Finnish mobile phones.

In Boulder, Colorado:

Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema

From their humble beginnings in a trailer park screening local dance videos, Sans Souci Festival has evolved into a world class film festival with a strong curatorial vision. The line up for this year’s festival includes work by the aforementioned Noémie Lafrance (Melt), Alla Kovgan (New London Calling), Marta Renzi (Year, Make & Model), and Mitchell Rose (Advance). This is a great festival if you love highly kinetic dance film shorts (as I do).

Dates

Boulder Public Library
Mondays, October 3 & 10
Wednesdays, October 5 & 12

Moment by Katrina McPherson

The University of Utah’s Departments of Modern Dance and Film and Media Arts are offering two opportunities to work with award-winning Scottish dance filmmaker, Katrina McPherson, in her first American residencies. Set in the beautiful mountain city of Salt Lake this two-week workshop offers in-depth experience for choreographers and filmmakers in shooting and editing dance for the camera. Ms. McPherson will hold screenings, discussions, demonstrations, and will oversee the creation of screendance studies by each participant. Editing facilities and personnel will be available, as will dancers for choreographic projects.

Weekend Workshop: September 15 – 17 — Weeklong Intensive Workshop: September 19 – 24

An evening of student works will be presented on Thursday, September 15, 2011 in conjunction with the International Dance for the Camera Festival.

For more information and to register for the workshops go to the Festival website.

National Conference
Pavilion Dance, Bournemouth (UK)
8-10 September, 2011

Digital Futures in Dance is an opportunity for artists, promoters, producers, venues, academics and creative and digital companies to come together to discuss future possibilities for dance and technology. With an increasing growth in interdisciplinary practice, Digital Futures in Dance investigates how new digital technologies create new conditions for choreographing and presenting dance. The conference is structured around three interrelated themes explored through presentations, workshops, performances and installations:

The Expanded Stage: Stage, screen and bodies – What will be the stages for dance in the future?

New Body Intelligence: Body data as raw material – How will new intelligence of the body influence choreography in the future?

Social Interaction: Mobile and interactive technology devices – How will increased interactivity influence the creation and reception of dance in the future?

The programme will feature international artists and researchers across the dance, technology and media spectrums including Jonah Bokaer, Billie Cowie, Marlon Barrios-Solano, Harriet Macauley | Pair Dance, Johannes Birringer, Renana Raz, Mark Coniglio, and Marina Tsartsara.

See the full programme here.