The Music Center of Los Angeles in association with Dance Camera West (DCW) have announced the launching of The Music Center’s Dance in Focus Film Festival REFLECTIONS Inspired by the Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo. This free film festival will take place July 12-16, 2023 on the Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center.
The Music Center and DCW invite southern California dance and filmmakers to submit their original dance or choreography films “that explore autobiography and self-portraiture, as inspired by the iconic work of Frida Kahlo and choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s biographical ballet Frida for the Dutch National Ballet, based on the life of the late artist Kahlo”. This festival will coincide with the U.S. premiere of Frida being performed by Dutch National Ballet from July 14–16, 2023, at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
For more information about The Music Center’s Dance in Focus Film Festival: REFLECTIONS, please click HERE.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, May 8, 2023
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In support of the filmmakers, DCW will off three Choreography for the Camera workshops that explore the art of dance filmmaking on March 12th, April 2nd, and April 22 with some of the world’s leading dance film makers Javier De Frutos, Karen Pearlman, Madison Olandt, Mike Tyus, Joy Isabella Brown, Luca Renzi and Derion Loman. DCW is led by co-founded, dancer, choreographer, curator, and filmmaker Kelly Hargraves who recently produced the very successful 21st edition of DCW’s Annual Film Festival at Barnsdall Art Park in its historic Gallery Theatre.
Here is a brief description of these FREE day-long workshops and how you can sign up to attend
Choreography for the Camera with Javier De Frutos
March 12, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | The Music Center
This lab specifically focuses on working with choreographers and directors in the discipline of creating dance material that can only exist in complicit and intimate dialogue with the camera to expand the realm of narrative. Understanding the power of the range of distances and close-ups, the three-dimensionality of movement meaning, its unique ability to convey character depth, and the possibilities of furthering your craft by exploring editing, pace, continuity and rhythm. As well as the practical advantages of shooting out of sequence.
Creating A Dance Film – What is Beyond the Stage?
April 2, 2023 | 1-5 p.m. | The Music Center
Madison Olandt, Mike Tyus, Joy Isabella Brown, Luca Renzi and Derion Loman
Join a team of choreographers, directors, dancers, videographers and movement artists whose stories are very different, but whose desires are rooted in the same soil–to create and to inspire. This workshop will provide tools, steps, and techniques for discovering dance through another lens, emphasize the value of a team/collaboration when self-producing projects, and empower other artists who are wanting to dive into film, no matter what level of mastery.
Screendance Editing Workshop with Karen Pearlman
April 22 | 1-5 p.m. | The Music Center – Rigler Conference Room
This workshop on editing as a form of choreography provides insights, strategies, and exercises to activate the screen dance maker’s kinesthetic imagination. Karen Pearlman will talk through some of the processes of shaping structure and flow of movement and introduce ways of composing dance-driven material into films that move. The workshop will include examples of processes from The Physical TV Company’s multi-award-winning films to develop participants’ eye for context, structure, time, gesture, and intention, and then look at select work-in-progress edits that participants bring in to help develop editing skills and ideas.
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For more information about Dance Camera West, please visit their website.
For more information about The Music Center of Los Angeles, please visit their website.
Compiled by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle. Information provided by Dance Camera West.
Featured image: Dance In F/ocus Film Festival REFLECTIONS – Photo courtesy of DCW