DANCE CAMERA WEST

What do Zac Efron, Tango picnic, and gender issues in contemporary indigenous culture have in common?

2009-06-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hi DCW aficionados,

A few things worth mentioning as we enter the last phase of our DCW film festival.

Friday night there's a special offer for the Choreography Media Honors Panel, 1 ticket for the price of 2 for all dance students. It's all over our DCW FB pages, please check it out. Please also note that in order to go to that event you need to PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE.

Moving on... Sat is TANGO night for all. Bring your family, bring everyone. Wear your tango gear, bring a picnic and a blanket for the grass. The Green Truck will be on site. FREE Outdoor Event with Community Tango followed by screening of Latin American dance films from Cuba, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. 7 to 1030 pm at Braude Center Plaza 6262 Van Nuys Blvd.
Check out the trailer for the films here:

Finally, we end our festival with a very special event at the Autry on Sunday at 2pm. Two documentaries with First Nation Byron Chief-Moon: Grey Horse Rider and Native American Jock Soto in Water Flowing Together, featuring openly gay artists exploring their heritage and future followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Philip Szporer. $10, $7 for DCW members

Please be sure to check us out,

I'll be sending updates after the film festival, with one particular issue I'd like to share with you after the Q&A we had after the screening of the film "Veterans".

Don't be late! and definitely don't miss our final weekend.
PS we will have a final wrap party June 26 --more to come...

Yours truly,

Marguerite

The AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD goes to ...

2009-06-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

WEIGHTLESS (Sweden)
Director: Erica Janunger, Choreographer: Malin Stattin/Tuva Lundkuist/Erika Janunger

Watch the whole film here

Congratulations!

Other films that sparked the audience's imagination were:

BECOMING (Canada)
Director: Ayelen Liberona/Joseph Johnson Cami, Choreographer: Ayelen Liberona
a world premiere at the Dance Camera West opening

Watch here the trailer

and here the interview with dancer Sanford Kong about the making of the film

DANSE MACABRE (Canada)
Director: Pedro Pires , Choreographer: AnneBruce Falconer

Watch the trailer here

LA BOULE D'OR (Switzerland)
Director: Bruno Deville/Mario del Curto, Choreographer: Philippe Saire

Wacth the full film here

and from our own L.A. local talent, another world premiere
THE LAST MARTINI (USA)
Director/Choreographer : Vickie Mendoza

Watch here the interview with Vickie

A special mention goes to another of our local L.A. talent with
CAPTAIN (USA) directed by Rae Shao-Lan Blum/Pooh Kaye and choreographed by Rae Shao-Lan Blum

Follow here Rae's blog
Interview with here coming up soon...

Enjoy, and let us know what you think,

thank you,

Marguerite
Dance Camera West

Screendance; A New Visual Language

2009-06-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

A new visual Feast is more like it! Our REDCAT opening weekend brings dance media from 14 different countries this year. Spread over three programs our Screendance collection allows an intriguing sampling of locations and attitude; all identifiable as turn of the century western civilization but each with a slight twist and indelible stamp.

It's unbelievable how much work in this genre of dance media is being made around the planet each year. Out of 250 film entires this year we have distilled it down to 31 short film gems. If you don't see these 3 programs you are missing a rare opportunity to see an amazing cross section of our current global humanity in motion.

See you at the festival,
Lynette

Prevailing theme of this years festival -- oh-oh!

2009-05-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Every year there emerges a prevailing theme out of the 200-some dance films we gather from around the globe. In years past dancemedia's collective unconscious has dwelled in such places like the bathroom, underwater, in bed, running up hills -- all kinds of hills -- sand dunes, the Alps, snow covered, mud slicked.

Each year we receive at least a half a dozen films that seem to have come from the same source. How can that be? These films are from Buenos Aires, Geneva, Johannesberg, and Vancouver - places far from each other with different mass media influences. At one point I thought it could be the evolution of equipment/ technology - better, smaller, affordable - that was predicating a particular theme

to be explored simultaneously around the globe.

In February I wondered to the selection committee - What will be this year's theme? Before I go any further think about this. Most of these works were conceived of at least 3 - 4 years ago let's say 2005 - 2006.

OK, I'm stalling, it's DEATH. You would think that the very first DCW blog would have a more marketable theme... What I can say is that these films explore death as an integral part of life -- it's not morbid, sad death but rather investigations into several different aspects of not living.

We see an ancient ritual carried out where after mating the female off's the male and one can't help but think it's cool. There's a poetic dance of what happens at the morgue (this one was borderline for me) and then there is a jealous lover that is quite requited in his love. There is celebration and there is passion for what comes after living. Never before have I had so much death in one collection of film. What exactly was going on in the middle part of this decade...

Don't be scared off from the festival -- you won't be sitting through 10 short films on the theme of death. We have spread these insightful nuggets throughout the REDCAT programming during our opening weekend. And remember we will be holding therapy sessions in the lounge immediately following each screening.

Please take time to review our full festival line-up. We have something for everyone and some of you will want to see it all. Some of our events are free or as little as ten bucks $7 if you are a member.

Talk soon,

Lynette