noOne by Alan Sondheim

Second Life, which self-describes as a “free 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create using free voice and text chat” has become artistic fodder for many artists since its inception in 2003. Not a game, Second Life has no end goal for it’s users: it’s an open-ended consequence-free alternate reality where avatars, free from earthy concerns like nourishment and gravity, can interact with their environment and community in any way they see fit.

The work “noOne” by Alan Sondheim (an official selection of the UMove Festival in the Animation/Gaming category) is an exploration of the lack of rules that exist in the virtual reality of Second Life. The piece is a record of live interactions Sondheim’s avatar had with various uploaded environments. Dance is perhaps a limited genre, as it is typically limited by the capabilities of the human body, but when the human form can fly, bend, and contort into any position the choreographer dreams of, a new set of possibilities opens up for the choreographer. Yet we hardly ever see the avatar in this work, as it is largely obscured by its environment in this piece: the near-human form swallowed by the technological environment, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of red particles through which the viewer may only hope to keep track of its whereabouts.

Dorsey's Knob by Foofwa d'Imobilité

“Dorsey’s Knob (série Second Live series)” by Foofwa d’Imobilite (official selection of UMove in the Surprise Me! category) takes Second Life as its inspiration, but places the choreography back on live performers. While the avatar inside of Second Life may not be limited by gravity or length of ligaments, the range of movement is stifled, emotion non-existent, and nuance a complete impossibility. By taking the movement language of avatars and repurposing it for performance by a live body, d’Imobilite has created a limited movement palate rife with possibility. While “noOne” relies heavily on the abstract changing environment to create movement within the frame, “Dorsey’s Knob” creates a series of static landscapes in which the robotic movement of one dancer placed next to the near non-movement of another creates a bizarrely human character study.

Perhaps where “Dorsey’s Knob” succeeds is in it’s realization that technologically enhanced worlds are only as interesting as the humans that inhabit them, and humanizing the movement language of avatars (very successfully done through micro-moments showing set-up with the dancers: they are cold, they make each other laugh), creates situations rich with metaphor.

Here you will find a selection of over 50 movement-based videos made specifically for the web, including innovative animations, 60-second shorts, surprising perspectives on dance and technology, and low budget wonders representing the best of YouTube. View the videos, read articles and critical writings about emerging trends in dance media, and most importantly join the discussion with your comments and feedback!

To see the videos, simply click on UMOVE FESTIVAL drop-down menu above. You can peruse by category, or search for a particular artist or title.

The UMove Online Videodance Festival will run on Move the Frame blog for the entire month of October, 2009. In addition to the online festival a touring screening program will play in select locations around the country and the world in 2009-10. Check back here for up-dates on screening times and locations.

UMove Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

UMove Launch Party and Movement Media Fundraiser

TONIGHT ONLY!!!

Time: October 4th (Sunday) 7:30 & 9:30pm

Location: The TANK, 354 West 45th Street, NYC  (btw 8th/9th Avenue) http://www.thetanknyc.org/

Tickets: $40 Donation with Reserved Seating or $5 At the Door-Very Limited Seating.

To reserve a seat with a $40 donation, please go to our donate now page on our website or contact us at movementmedia@pentacle.org.

As the First Annual UMove Online Videodance Festival kicks off online, join us to celebrate the launch with a live screening and party in New York City.

Anna Brady Nuse, Marta Renzi, and Kriota Willberg have hand-picked a premium selection of international video artists for a program that will stimulate, provoke, and entertain. Come for the screening!  Stay for fascinating multimedia performances and absorbing conversation. Drinks (and popcorn) will flow!

Video artists featured in this screening and at UMove online: Susan Marshall, Foofwa d’Imobilite, Barbara Benas, Daniel Robinson, Ally Voye, Alan Sondheim, Sabine Klaus, Marisa C. Hayes, Natalya Nikolaeva, Sabrina Mergey, and Kyle Ruddick/Eyestorm Productions.

UMove Launch Party is a co-presentation of Pentacle’s Movement Media and The Tank.

Alex Springer & XanBurley, USA, 2008

“The Parlor” takes its inspiration from the room in which it was filmed: a stately antiquated parlor in a country club. The two dancers play with court dancing and formal social dance, and then expand to play with the nooks and crannies of the room.

Jody Oberfelder, USA, 2008

A playful piece filled with newspapers and cut-out letters, Snew suggests connections via language that is not yet tangible: the life that happens in between bits of information in a media saturated world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Daniel Robinson, USA, 2009

A woman dancing on a rooftop waivers between self doubt and determination. Daniel Robinson comes to UMOVE via Broadway, where he recently appeared in ‘Hairspray’ and the silver screen, where he stars in the ‘Big Gay Musical’.

*Official selection for UMOVE Touring Festival

Ally Voye, USA, 2007

This is a dynamic study of flying and falling. A beautiful executed example of a work whose splashes of movement were specifically designed for the screen. RED was made at MediaNet’s 2007 Dance for the Camera workshop with Victoria Marks Ellen Bromberg.

*Official selection for UMOVE Touring Festival

Natalya Nikolaeva, Russia/Finland, 2007

*Official selection for UMOVE Touring Festival

Janne Eraker, Netherlands, 2009

One of a series of works exploring light and movement, Janne Eraker experiments with a single black light and a dancer in a white costume. Playing with distance, the dancer’s limbs fall away into the darkness, creating a mysterious portrait of the dancer half-concealed.

Sara del Barrio, Netherlands, 2009

A handheld camera explores a body in the woods. Close-ups of limbs and shadows accelerate and then disappear in this brief work.