THE WALTER READE THEATER

Dance on Camera Festival 2005

January 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 & 22


left: Amelia

Dance on Camera Festival celebrates its 33rd year presenting a diverse selection of documentaries and dance films from around the world at the Walter Reade Theaer. Co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association, the festival is made possible with the generous support of the Howard Gilman Foundation, the National Foundation for the Arts, and Lifestyle Media. Thirteen programs will feature both New York premieres and revivals, from the trance dance of Bali to tango, tap, ballet, contemporary, and the art of the short story told through dance. In celebration of the centennial of Michael Powell's birth, we'll present his incomparable ballet film THE RED SHOES. On their tenth anniversary, a program of prize-winning shorts from Bravo!FACT, Canada's main supporter of innovative dance conceived for the screen, will be screened. Thanks to the Canadian Consulate General for their assistance.
Programmed and organized by Deidre Towers (DFA) and Joanna Ney (FSLC).

The Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery of the Walter Reade Theater will feature an exhibit of works by Geoffrey Holder titled Geoffrey Holder, A Life in Theater, Dance and Art. This exhibit, which runs through the month of January, will also include rare photographs of his wife, dancer Carmen de Lavallade.

PROGRAM I: RETROSPECTIVE
Friday, January 7: 1pm
Friday, January 21: 1pm
THE GODS OF BALI
Robert Snyder, assisted by Allegra Fuller Snyder, U.S., 1952; 56m
This rare film, unseen in 50 years, is based on fascinating footage of Balinese trance dances and rituals from the 30s. Assisted by his wife Allegra Fuller Snyder, Robert Snyder edited the footage fifteen years later. He was a documentarian who, with Robert Flaherty, made The Titan: Story of Michelangelo, for which he won an Academy Award in 1951. Allegra Fuller Snyder, a professor emeritus of Dance and Dance Ethnology at UCLA and a pioneer in the conservation and dissemination of the history of dance, will introduce.
Preceded by
CHILDREN'S DANCE AT ARMA
Anna Ivara, U.S., 2001; 5m
Balinese children learn refinements of this ongoing dance tradition from the masters in this delightful short film. Director will introduce.

PROGRAM 2:
TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL POWELL
Friday, January 7: 3pm
Friday, January 21: 6:15pm
THE RED SHOES
Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, U.K, 1948; 133m
Sublime cinematography, gorgeous dancing, sumptuous decor and costumes, lush music and irresistible melodrama combine to make THE RED SHOES one of the great ballet films of all time. No wonder Martin Scorsese lists it as one of his top 5 favorites! Up-and-coming Sadlers Wells ballerina Moira Shearer was nervous about accepting the film role, fearing that her absence from the company would endanger her future. It was only when director Powell began screen testing other ballerinas that she made up her mind and, needless to say, this incomparable redhead was a total knockout as Victoria Page. With Anton Walbrook as the ruthless impresario, Leonide Massine as the temperamental choreographer and Marius Goring as the young composer who forces her to choose. Film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, Michael Powell's widow, will introduce the evening screening.


PROGRAM 3
Friday, January 7: 6pm
Friday, January 14: 1pm
CARMEN AND GEOFFREY
Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob, 2004; 80m
Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder as artists and as a couple are virtually a New York institution. Their separate careers are staggeringly prolific and their talents extraordinary. This heartwarming documentary on these two remarkable personalities is full of wonderful archival footage that traces their careers, hers as a Horton-trained dancer coming to New York from "the wrong coast," his as a Trinidad- born choreographer who set New York on fire as a set and costume designer, painter and man about town. Among the dancers who appear are Judith Jamison, Gus Solomons, Jr., Dudley Williams, Ulysses Dove and the great Alvin Ailey. Ms. de Lavallade and Mr. Holder will introduce the evening screening, along with the producer/directors.
Preceded by
TONGUE BULLY
Annie Bradley, 2004, Canada/Cuba; 5m
Trinidadian choreographer/performer Learie McNicholls is a compelling storyteller. This punchy short, shot in Havana and produced by Bravo!FACT, combines movement and potent spoken word to great effect.
Reception to follow the January 7th showing (all entrants welcome).

PROGRAM 4: SHORT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD(95m)
Friday, January 7: 9pm
Saturday, January 8: 1pm
Dance on Camera Festival 2005 takes an adventurous turn with a program of eight shorts that expand the imagination through inventive ideas executed with innovative use of camera, movement and locale - from the desert of Death Valley to a seaside boardwalk in England, and in the restricted space of a plain white cube.
THE COST OF LIVING
Choreographer/director Lloyd Newson, U.K., 2004; 34m
This film takes us to a faded seaside town where street performers David and Eddie struggle to find work and romance. This film, from the Lloyd Newson of the celebrated DV8 dance company, hurls provocations and scalding humor at notions of how the fit and unfit are supposed to act. Winner of the Audience Award at the VideoDance 2004 in Athens and Thessaloniki; and the Paula Citron Award at the Moving Pictures Festival in Toronto.
REIMERSWAAL
Clara van Gool, The Netherlands, 2004; 8m
A mysterious and sexy mating dance in the water, choreographed by Suzy Blok and directed by Clara von Gool, known for her extraordinary Enter Achilles.
MADRUGADA
Deborah Greenfield and William Morrison, U.S., 2004; 7m
A creature of the night, abandoned in the California desert, faces her imminent destruction at daybreak, as expressed through flamenco lyrics and dance. Directors will introduce.
TOGETHER
Madeleine Hetherton, Australia, 2004; 8m
The power of memory to intrude on the end of a relationship and letting go. Choreographed by Rowan Marchingo.
FORA DENTRO
Wiebke Popel, Germany, 2004; 7m
A deadpan experiment with a minimal cast: a woman, an empty swimming pool, and a ripe orange.
CODICE APERTO
Luca Scarzella, Italy, 2004; 16m
Choreographer Enzo Procopio and director Scarzella invade a dreamscape populated by shadows, art objects and dancers.
LIAR'S LANDSCAPE
Michael Cole, U.S.; 2004; 7m
Michael Cole, a former Merce Cunningham dancer, has evolved into an innovator as a video maker. Technologically advanced but never losing sight of the body as prime instrument, he has created an involving and beautiful computer-generated short.
ANARCHIC VARIATIONS
Billy Cowie, U.K., 2004; 8m
Can you fit a spiky, red-haired woman into a plain white cube? Prepare to distort space, compress time and suspend belief in this witty film. Choreographed by Liz Aggiss. Billy Cowie will introduce.

PROGRAM 5
Saturday, January 8: 3:30pm
FRUITS OF LOVE
Nadia Roden, U..S, 2004; 2m
British-born New York City based-animator Nadia Roden spins her amusing metamorphosis with a Middle Eastern twist.
TAP HEAT
Dean Hargrove, U.S., 2004; 15m
Choreographer Danny Daniels and director Hargrove provide a tap extravaganza highlighting exponents of two distinct tap styles: a young man raised on urban funk and an elder statesman of sophisticated tap. Tappers Jason Samuels Smith and Arthur Duncan are the two leads, supported by a great backup team. Hargrove will introduce.
ALONZO KING GOES TO VENICE
Dikayl, U.S. 2004; 30m
San Francisco-based contemporary dance choreographer Alonzo King and director Dikayl follow his Lines Company on tour to Venice, employing a behind-the-scenes perspective of King, whose dance company performs live at NYU this January. Company members expected to introduce, along with Dikayl.
ANTHEM: BLUE
Victoria Bader, U.S., 2004; 30m
Director Bader teams up with the extraordinary Desmond Richardson and his Complexions Company in the contemporary ballet piece Anthem, choreographed by Dwight Roden. The third section, called Blue, was motivated by the tragedy of 9/11 and is the one shown. Director and choreographer will introduce.

PROGRAM 6
Saturday, January 8: 6:30pm
AMELIA
Édouard Lock, Canada, 2003; 60m
This is the first film Montréal's renowned choreographer Édouard Lock has directed. This abstract work for pointe is a powerful interplay of extended intertwining solos, intricate partnering sequences, complexity, and speed. Anchored by intricate partnering, Amelia arrives at full tilt, gathering and dispersing energy with the ferocity of a midsummer storm, alternating its hard-edged encounters with unexpected moments of tender emotion and serenity. The women's pointe work has a classroom sharpness and precision while their arms fly free, as if in flight. Lock designed the film, adapted from his stage work, by precisely choreographing the camera to the performances of the dancers of La La La Human Steps, all within a minimalist environment made of wood and delicately lit by André Turpin. The original score for piano, cello, violin, and voice, is composed by David Lang and set in part to the lyrics of Lou Reed. This amazing dance film has won a slew of awards in Chicago, Lucerne, Los Angeles, Banff and Prague. Lock has created works for many companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet, the Netherlands Dance Theater and the Dutch National Ballet. Édouard Lock will introduce.

PROGRAM 7:
NEW DANCE PRODUCED IN FRANCE
Saturday, January 8: 8:30pm
Saturday, January 22: 1pm
"I" (MARION SOLO)
Marion Levy with Emmanuel Salinger, France, 2004; 10m
In this amusing short Levy is a young dancer haunted by a growing collection of toe shoes, which surround her like loving dogs or fierce competitors depending on your point of view.
COUNTER PHRASES 2
Thierry de Mey, France/The Netherlands, 2004; 26m
Choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and longtime collaborator de Mey have fashioned a stunning dance film composed of five sections, each with its own music, singular use of color, split frame composition, landscape, and movement scheme. A veritable symphony of minimalist perfection danced by the famed Rosas Company.
IN PAGES
Elizabeth Cornell, France/Japan, 2004; 26m
Japanese dancer Saburo Teshigawara, who performed to great acclaim at BAM, has created a fascinating dance ritual that resonates with a sense of objects having an inner life and an intense golden glow.
RAVE
Mark Kidel, France, 2003; 26m
A supercharged and witty performance by the dancers of Ballet de Lorraine, performed to electrifying music by the American-born "punk ballerina" Karole Armitage, who will introduce.

PROGRAM 8:
RUSSIAN BALLET HISTORY
Friday, January 14: 4pm
Saturday, January 15: 1pm
Tuesday, January 18: 7pm (Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza)
BELATED PREMIERE
Victor Bocharov, Russia, 2003; 70m. In Russian with English narration and intertitles
Victor Bocharov found a treasure of archive films made almost a century ago by Alexander Shirayev (1867-1941), a well-known character dancer at the Marinsky Theater. Assistant to Marius Petipa, Shirayev was an innovator whose attempts to film the ballets at the theater were officially denied. Nevertheless, he succeeded in re-creating and thereby preserving many of his roles by animating dancing figures and creating his own miniature puppet theater. He has left an invaluable record of classical character dance in Russia in the early part of the 20th century. A surprising discovery that will be of great interest to scholars, researchers and balletomanes. Victor Bocharov will introduce and answer questions at all screenings.
Preceded by:
RUSSIAN DREAMS (FROM MYTHS)
Sergei Ovcharov, Russia, 1999; 14m
Part of a comic serial that plays with mythical, literary and actual characters in world history/culture, Russian Dreams is a whimsical animation that sends up Russian folkloric characters and traditions with a fond appreciation and a uniquely madcap style of computer animation that should win Ovcharov new admirers in the West.

PROGRAM 9: CELEBRATING BRAVO!FACT ON THEIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY (90m with discussions)
Friday, January 14: 6:30pm
Saturday, January 15: 3pm
Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) awards grants to Canadian artists and filmmakers for the production of short films and videos and is now the world's leading commissioner of shorts of dance on camera. Our salute is an acknowledgement of the superb work they do and includes 14 shorts (plus Tongue Bully, shown in program 3) that truly explore the endless possibilities of combining cinematography, performance, sound/music and conceptual design to create new experiences. From past audience favorites such as Belly Boat Hustle and Pretty Big Dig and Horses Never Lie, to new, stunning visualizations of the poetry of Michael Ondaatje, this celebration of Bravo!FACT focuses on choreographers, directors and dancers who provide a wide-ranging view of dance for the camera. SHADOW PLEASURES: CINNAMON PEELER, POWER and TROPICAL RUMORS reflect the vision and dedication of Canada's former prima ballerina Veronica Tennant, as well as that of Roberto Campanella, Margie Gillis and Caroline Richardson. Whether the subject is a man trapped (or liberated) by a revolving door, as in MAN'DALAS, or a poignant series of tributes to a family of Holocaust survivors, such as ZUMMEL, these experiments prove that filmmakers interested in dance can create worlds within worlds. Series producer Judy Gladstone and guest artists will introduce the program and answer questions afterward.

PROGRAM 10: EXPLORATIONS IN DANCE AND DESIGN
Friday, January 14: 9pm
SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN
Pierre Coulibeuf & Meg Stuart, France, 2004; 70m
Meg Stuart is an American choreographer based in Brussels with her company, Damaged Goods. In this piece she colloborates with Pierre Coulibeuf, an adventuresome filmmaker and video artist who specializes in cutting across genres and developing a visual language that crosses artistic boundaries. Their investigation into individual behavior in contemporary society is the basis of this new "fiction."
Followed by
SOLO
Thierry Knauff and Michele Noiret, Belgium, 2004; 30m
Set to the music of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, this dazzling black and white film offers an insight into a possessed woman's psyche. Commissioned by the Opéra de Paris.

Program 11:
MYSTIC FORCE OF DANCE
Friday, January 21: 3:30pm
DANCING FROM THE HEART
Marilyn Hunt, U.S., 2004; 48m
Dance critic Marilyn Hunt explores the importance of dance in the Pueblo Indian culture as a centering tool and antidote to social problems. Andrew Garcia of San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, is her impassioned guide, and the colorful dances are performed by members of the San Juan Pueblo. Preceded by
ZIKR Clara van Gool, The Netherlands, 1998; 4m
The Chechnyans still perform the Zikr, an ancient ceremonial dance performed by local men in the village of Grozny. and
ROLLING DOWN LIKE PELE
Laura Margulies, U.S., 2004; 4m
Hawaiian-born animator Laura Margulies suggests the power of the hula through paint, water colors, and live action. and
PHARAOH
Sergei Ovcharov, Russia, 1999; 10m
A short animation based on a comic serial about myths of Western civilization, this delightful film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Festival.

PROGRAM 12: MUSIC AND DANCE
Friday, January 21: 9pm
TANGO: A STRANGE TURN
Mercedes Garcia Guevara, Argentina, 2004, 87m
A popular hit in the Latinbeat festival, TANGO presents the transformation of the worldwide popular music-dance form from the traditional songs of Carlos Gardel to Astor Piazzolla's rearticulation of the genre from the perspective of a new generation in Argentina as they embrace their musical heritage. The film features amazing young composers, lyricists and dancers who dare to renew old formulas, proving that tango is more than alive and well in Buenos Aires. This soulful film includes La Chicana, Las Munecas and Fernando Otero, a New York-based musician and composer who will appear in person to speak about reinventing tango and also play the piano.

PROGRAM 13: DFA JURY WINNERS
Saturday, January 22: 3:30pm
Winner of the Dance on Camera Festival 2005 to be announced, and clips from all the nominated titles will be shown. Followed by a Dance on Camera Festival classic:
DUNE DANCE
Carolyn Brown & Jim Klosty, U.S., 1978; 40m
Sara Rudner and former members of the Twyla Tharp and Merce Cunningham companies, out on there own on Cape Cod. DUNE DANCE was much admired when it first came out but has not been shown in many years. The improvisational spirit of the 70s is in full bloom as dancers have the time of their lives doing "choreography" on the dunes. The musical score was added later. The freedom and joy expressed in the dancing are contagious. Some of the dancers will attend. Reception to follow at 5pm in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery.

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