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Dance Films Association, now celebrating its 50th anniversary presents
its 34th annual Dance on Camera Festival co-sponsored by the Film
Society of Lincoln Center
January 4-7, 10, 13-14, 2006 at the Walter Reade Theatre, Lincoln
Center Plaza, 165 West 65th Street, NYC $10/$6 DFA and Film Society
members except for special programs at $12
Sunday, January 8, 2006 7-10pm at the Galapagos Art Space, 70 N. 6th
Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, $5
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 6pm at Donnell Media Center of The New York
Public Library, 20 W. 53rd St, NYC (Free)
What is a dance film? Is it classified simply as a performance seen on
Dance in America, or a documentary of a renowned dance company?
Certainly not. DFA believes that a true dance film is one that fuses
both aspects of film and dance together, creating a “synergy” of the
two arts. The choreographer is not only inventing movement, but acts
as an editor as well. It is not something that is merely filmed on a
proscenium stage, but can be filmed in an alleyway or an open field,
viewing the performer from every possible angle. Whether it tells a
story or contains pure movement, it depends on the message the
filmmaker wishes to portray. The following three short films, a
narrative, a comedic tease, and a graphic achievement, are among 14
programs in the Dance on Camera Festival at the Walter Reade Theater
in Lincoln Center.
Varo / Waiting (U.S. Premiere)
Kasza Gábor, Hungary, 2005; 8m
Varo, or Waiting, is a dark, stylized short film that
takes place entirely in a train station. What first seems as merely an
ordinary scene of several restless passengers, (among them a pregnant
woman, a schoolgirl in pigtails, and a business man,) all sitting and
waiting for their respective trains, immediately transforms into
something quite different once two street musicians appear. Once they
begin to play atonal, repetitive, yet lively music on their violin and
trumpet, it is as if their music gives these strangers permission to
begin to interact, and consequently fulfill their shared fantasy of
dancing together in the middle of a train station. Who hasn’t wondered
what it would be like, when hearing music, to suddenly grab the
complete stranger next to you in a crowd and start to dance? The
cinematography is high quality and pleasing to watch, yet the
performance could just as easily have been performed onstage, since
there are no drastic edits or special effects in use. Scattered
phrases in unison lead to contact improvisation among several unlikely
couples: a teenage boy supporting the expectant mother’s legs and
swelling belly; a man in a somewhat odd ruffled peach overcoat biting
the arm of a young girl wearing heavy eye makeup, fishnets, and combat
boots; and the ticket girl, blowing her whistle for order, who is
suddenly swept up into the air by the business man, ending up on the
floor in an unanticipated embrace. This organized chaos gives the
viewer a sense of spontaneity, along with flashes of humor. Although
the ending is vague- as to whether it is a dream or reality, the
inventive dancing and quirky moments certainly won this viewer over.
Alt I Alt (All in All) (U.S. Premiere)
Torbjorn Skarild, Norway, 2005; 5m
All one sees in the short film Alt I Alt is a large swimming
pool, several diving boards, and a single man jumping. These are all
seemingly ordinary images, yet the film cleverly manipulates our view
of them, making us see them in a unique way. It would be impossible to
have the film’s same affect in a live performance, since the various
angles and camera shots used enable the viewer to observe not only the
bottom of the pool within the water, but a bird’s eye view of the
man’s head and feet as he jumps, as well as the diving board from
every possible perspective. The only “musical” accompaniment is the
reverberation of the diving board as the jumper keeps an impressively
steady rhythm, no matter how high he is in the air. As one watches him
jump over and over, his eventual dive into the water is anticipated as
the probable conclusion to the film. Yet even that does not occur; the
filmmakers construct a surprise twist at the end, where a seemingly
endless series of flips off the board do not land in the dark blue
water as expected, but back up onto the highest diving board, where
the performer calmly gives the viewers a polite bow before walking
down the stairs.
Nascent (U.S. Premiere)
Gina Czarnecki, U.K./Australia, 2005; 10m
 Nascent
is a mysterious, evocative film that is initially incomprehensible. Is
that smoke swirling lazily? What exactly are those stark white shapes
fading in and out across the bare black background? Slowly, a
semi-nude figure comes into view, rolling from right to left, yet it
is not simply rolling. The director, Gina Czarnecki, freezes this
figure periodically, leaving traces of it behind as it rolls. The
effect is remarkable, hypnotic, as well as undeniably sensual. When
the figures merge into one, forming a circle, it becomes a viewing
experience that borders on hallucinogenic. This painstakingly detailed
collaboration with choreographer Garry Stewart of the Australian Dance
Theatre leaves the viewer oddly satisfied: the last glimpse of a woman
slowly slipping off screen finally reveals her features, no matter how
fleetingly.
For detailed information on the 16 programs in the three venues,
please visit DFA’s website:
http://www.dancefilmsassn.org
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Yael Lubarr is a recent graduate from The University of
Michigan and is currently a scholarship student in the Professional
Training Program at the Merce Cunningham Studios.
ylubarr@gmail.com
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