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DANCE ON CAMERA 2009 Presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and DFA, Jan. 7-11 and 16-17

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2008—The 2009 edition of on Camera, the longest-running annual film festival showcasing the influential and formative role dance plays in film, will hit the screen at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Jan. 7-11 and 16-17. The Film Society and Dance Films Association reunite for the 13th year to present the festival’s 14 unique film programs, screening 39 new, classic and experimental features and shorts. They highlight new media’s pioneering role in bringing dance to vivid life on screen; celebrate a rarely seen silent film classic; offer two evocative looks at South Asian dance; spotlight dance luminaries , Busby Berkeley, Antonio Gades, and Jirí Kylián; and much more.

Special guests will include iconoclast filmmaker Sophie Fiennes, Emmy Award- winning producer of “Dance in America” Judy Kinberg; Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and Long Island University dean Rhoda Grauer; choreographers Nora Chipaumire and Rajika Puri; and Village Voice senior film critic J. Hoberman, who will introduce a screening of Berkeley’s legendary 1934 dance musical “Dames” on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 4:00 p.m.

Acclaimed French documentarian Bertrand Normand will introduce and answer questions following the festival’s first program, Then and Now, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 6:15 p.m. Normand’s “Ballerina” is an insightful new investigation of the St. Petersburg ballerina as incarnated by five of the Kirov’s rising stars: , Svetlana Zakharova, , and Evgenia Obraztsova. It screens alongside Gillian Lacey’s “Play: On the Beach with the Russes,” presenting newly found and edited footage of famous Ballet Russes dancers on the beach in Sydney, Australia, during their 1936-1940 tours.

At 9:00 p.m., EMPAC Dance Movies looks at the future of dance and new media technologies through four groundbreaking shorts specially commissioned for the Experimental Media Performing Arts Center. EMPAC curator Hélène Lesterlin will introduce the program. Choreographer Nora Chipaumire, filmmaker Alla Kovgan, and 1. producer Joan Frosch will introduce their video, “Nora,” a biographical dance drama about a Zimbabwean girl’s struggle for love and independence.

Era-spanning feature films highlighted in the series include a rare retrospective look at Maurice Tourneur’s 1918 fantasy masterpiece “The Blue Bird,” featuring a live piano performance by silent film accompanist Ben Model. On the opposite extreme, innovative Belgian choreographer Alain Platel and filmmaker Sophie Fiennes team up for “VSPRS Show and Tell,” a definitive look at Platel’s controversial interpretation of the cherished hymn, “Maria Vespers.” Fiennes will introduce and answer questions following the screening.

Rajika Puri, choreographer, writer and renowned exponent of two forms of Indian temple dance, will also be on hand to introduce and answer questions about the first of two Dance on Camera films focusing on South Asian artistry: “Dance of the Enchantress,” veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s compelling exploration of the Mohiniyattam dance form. Aribam Syam Sharma’s celebrated 1991 Cannes Film Festival selection “The Chosen One,” charting the strange rituals of a Meitei matriarchal cult as they affect a happily married woman, will be presented in the for the first time in nearly a decade. Rhoda Grauer, Emmy-winning producer, writer and filmmaker, and dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Long Island University, will introduce the film on Saturday, Jan. 17. The shorts programs Magnetic Cinema x 3, On the Short Side and Memories, also offer an exclusive glimpse at the global reach of new choreographic visions.

The festival’s closing night feature offers a sneak peek at the new American Masters documentary on prodigious choreographer Jerome Robbins. Directed and produced by six-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Judy Kinberg and written by best- selling Jerome Robbins biographer Amanda Vaill, “Something to Dance About” cuts never-before-seen rehearsal footage next to interviews with many of Robbins’s esteemed colleagues, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jacques d'Amboise, Suzanne Farrell, Chita Rivera and Stephen Sondheim, to offer an incisive examination of Robbins’s creative process. A panel discussion with Kinberg, Vaill, dancer and choreographer Donald Saddler, and other guests will follow the screening.

Other dance and dance film virtuosos whose work is on display in the series include Czech choreographer Jirí Kylián and master Antonio Gades, whose backstage preparations are brought into fresh new light in Juan Cano Arecha’s documentary “Antonio Gades: The Ethics of Dancing.” Busby Berkeley’s trailblazing brand of Hollywood musical spectacle is spotlighted in two programs—Blithe Spirits: Rudavsky Meets Busby Berkeley and a screening in a new 35mm studio print of “The Gang’s All Here,” starring Benny Goodman, Alive Faye, Charlotte Greenwood, and the iconic Carmen Miranda as the Girl in the Tutti-Frutti Hat.

The 2009 edition of the Dance on Camera Festival marks the 13th year of collaboration between The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association and the festival’s 37th year as an internationally touring event. It is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,

2. Ballet-Makers Foundation, French Consulate, New York State Council on the Arts, and the Experimental Television Center.

Single screening tickets for Dance on Camera 2009 are $11; $7 for Film Society members, students and children (6-12, accompanied by an adult); and $8 for seniors (62+). They are available at both the Walter Reade Theater box office and online at filmlinc.com. A series pass admitting one person to a total of five titles in the series can be purchased at the Walter Reade Theater box office (cash only) for $40; $30 for Film Society members. For information, call (212) 875-5601.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new directors, and to enhance the awareness, accessibility and understanding of film.

Advancing this mandate today, the Film Society hosts two distinguished festivals. The New York Film Festival annually premieres films from around the world and has introduced the likes of François Truffaut, R.W. Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar, Martin Scorsese, and Wong Kar-Wai to the United States. New Directors/New Films, co-presented by the Museum of Modern Art, focuses on emerging film talents.

Since 1972, when the Film Society honored Charles Chaplin in person, the annual Gala Tribute celebrates an actor or filmmaker who has helped distinguish cinema as an art form. Additionally, the Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming at its Walter Reade Theater and offers insightful film writing to a worldwide audience through Film Comment magazine.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater is located at 165 West 65th St. between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. Please note: Due to construction work taking place around Lincoln Center, access to the Walter Reade Theater is near Amsterdam Avenue. Once there, take the escalator, elevator or stairs to the upper level.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Jeanne R. Berney, (212) 875-5416, [email protected] Gabriele Caroti, (212) 875-5625, [email protected]

Dance on Camera 2009, Jan. 7-11, 16-17 Schedule at a Glance (Detailed Program Information Follows)

Wednesday, Jan. 7 6:15 Ballet Then and Now 9:00 EMPAC Dance Movies

Thursday, Jan. 8 1:30 Ballet Then and Now 4:00 Jirí Kylián On Screen 6:15 Flamenco + Shorts 3. 8:45 Magnetic Cinema x 3

Friday, Jan. 9 2:00 Flamenco + Shorts 4:00 Dance of the Enchantress 6:15 On the Short Side 8:30 VSPRS Show and Tell

Saturday, Jan. 10 3:00 FREE TALK: Under the Influence of Busby Berkeley 4:00 Blithe Spirits: Rudavsky Meets Busby Berkeley 6:30 The Gang’s All Here 8:45 Memories

Sunday, Jan. 11 2:00 The Blue Bird 4:15 Memories 6:15 VSPRS Show and Tell 8:30 On the Short Side

Friday, Jan. 16 1:00 Magnetic Cinema x 3 3:30 The Chosen One 6:15 American Masters: Jerome Robbins 9:00 Dance of the Enchantress

Saturday, Jan. 17 1:00 The Chosen One 3:30 Jirí Kylián On Screen

All times p.m.

Dance on Camera 2009, Jan. 7-11, 16-17 Detailed Program and Schedule Information

Organized by showtime

BALLET THEN AND NOW Ballerina Bertrand Normand, France, 2007; 77m French director Bertrand Normand explores the concept of the St. Petersburg ballerina through interview and performance footage of Alina Somova, Svetlana Zakharova, Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina and Evgenia Obraztsova. An intimate look at five of the Kirov’s rising superstars. Normand will introduce and answer questions following the

4. screenings. Made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Play: On the Beach with the Ballets Russes Gillian Lacey, UK, 2008; 23m Gillian Lacey edits together archival footage of Ballets Russes dancers frolicking on the beach in Sydney, Australia, during their 1936-1940 tours. Ballet Russes dancer Betty Low will answer questions after the screening on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Wed Jan 7: 6:15pm Thu Jan 8: 1:30pm

EMPAC DANCE MOVIES Due to a generous grant from The Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and the Performing Arts, EMPAC has played a pioneering role in the support of new works in which dance meets the technology of the moving image. Curator Hélène Lesterlin will introduce the four videos presented in this program. Kino-Eye Joby Emmons, USA, 2008; 8m Choreographed by Elena Demyanenko, Kino-Eye follows a dancer through contemporary via video surveillance. Veterans Victoria Marks and Margaret Williams, USA/UK, 2008; 18m Five young veterans attempt to make peace with their military service. Performed and co- created by veterans from the West Los Angeles VA combat rehab/PTSD clinic. Propriedad Horizontal David Fariás, Carla Schillagi and Maria Fernanda Vallejos, Argentina, 2008; 10m Dancers in a narrow passageway create an elegant, abstract, and lively piece of pure movement and form. Nora Alla Kovgan and David Hinton, USA/Zimbabwe/Mozambique/UK, 2008; 35m Based on the true story of Zimbabwe-born dancer/choreographer Nora Chipaumire, this swiftly moving visual poem follows an embattled African girl through the joys and disappointments of love, and her struggle against intimidation to gain independence. With a rousing score by Zimbabwean music legend Thomas Mapfumo. Kovgan, Chipaumire and producer Joan Frosch will introduce the screening. (Nora is also screening in the “Memories” program). Wed Jan 7: 9:00pm

JIRÍ KYLIÁN ON SCREEN For over 30 years, the collaboration between Czech choreographer Jirí Kylián and the Nederlands Dans Theater has produced more than 60 extraordinary productions. The works made for television were directed by Hans Hulscher, a specialist in capturing dance and opera. The Saturday, Jan. 17, screening will include a panel discussion on Kylián style moderated by Newark Star-Ledger dance critic Robert Johnson and featuring Lawrence Rhodes, director of the Dance Division at The Juilliard School, and several American Ballet Theater soloists. Falling Angels will not be screened on Saturday, Jan. 17. Falling Angels Hans Hulscher, Netherlands, 1997; 18m 5. Kylián creates a breathtaking dance for eight women to accompany Reich's propulsive “Drumming Part I”. Petite Mort Hans Hulscher, Netherlands, 1996; 18m Six female dancers, six male dancers and six rapiers are equal partners in this aggressive game of sexual tension set to gorgeous Mozart music. Wings of Wax Hans Hulscher, Netherlands, 1997; 19m Dancers emerge out of the black background, only to be absorbed back into it in Kylián's take on the Icarus legend. Sleepless Hans Hulscher, Netherlands, 2004, 26m In this work for six dancers, Kylián uses Mozart's “Adagio and Rondo, KV 617 in C major” to make a pun on “moving, and being moved.” Thu Jan 8: 4:00pm Sat Jan 17: 3:30pm

FLAMENCO + SHORTS Antonio Gades: The Ethics of Dancing Juan Cano Arecha, 2007, Spain; 56m Dancer, choreographer, leftist firebrand and lover Antonio Gades brought an intense, seductive glamour to flamenco’s powerful vocabulary. This new documentary reveals previously unseen images of the dancer’s work, including his for “Ad Libitum,” danced with Alicia Alonso, and an excerpt from “” with Gades as “Hilarion,” along with other surprises. Arecha will introduce and answer questions following the screenings. Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear David Fernandez, USA, 2007; 19m A man encounters his past and the figures and events that colored it. Set to Kronos Quartet’s “Requiem for Adam.” With Misty Copeland, Luciana Paris, Ana Sophia Scheller, Daniel Ulbricht, and more. Icarus APR David Fernandez, USA, 2008; 10m A modern interpretation of the Icarus legend, set to Pink Floyd’s “Money.” With New York City Ballet soloist Ask La Cour. Fernandez will introduce his films. Thu Jan 8: 6:15pm Fri Jan 9: 2:00pm

MAGNETIC CINEMA X 3 Magnetic Cinema Pierre Coulibeuf, France, 2008; 33m Inspired by Canadian choreographer Benoit Lachambre’s “Lugares Comunes,” Magnetic Cinema introduces its protagonists to a world of natural elements—air, water, plant and mineral—leading to a strange, antagonistic kinship and body movements that often imitate nature’s dark forces. Matchbox Daniel Belton, New Zealand, 2008; 25m

6. An evocative partnership game played out on a jazzy dance floor with dazzling physicality, as eight dancers pitch themselves at each other in a romantic roller coaster ride to love. Sens 1 Julien Condemine, France, 2008; 33m Dancers Francesca Bonato and Magalie Bouze, joined at their left feet, move around a crackling bubble- wrap carpet that resembles a dimly lit boxing ring. This dance by Belgian choreographer Pedro Pauwels is on the frontier of the impossible meeting the triumphant. Thu Jan 8: 8:45pm Fri Jan 16: 1:00pm

Dance of the Enchantress Adoor Gopalakrishnan, France, 2007; 70m Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan explores the beauty of the devotional and sensuous dance form, Mohiniyattam (“mohini” means enchantress and “attam” translates as graceful movements). “The film’s images are stunning...Gopalakrishnan picks out the richness of each color from the white and gold of the pleated saris to intense hues made even stronger by perfect lighting”—2007 Locarno Film Festival. Rajika Puri, choreographer, writer and renowned exponent of Bharatanatyam and Odissi, two forms of Indian temple dance, will introduce and answer questions following these screenings. Thanks to Indo American Council and Somi Roy. Fri Jan 9: 4:00pm Fri Jan 16: 9:00pm

ON THE SHORT SIDE After Dürer Daniel Belton, New Zealand, 2007; 8m A choreographed probe into the heart of Albrecht Dürer’s “Melancolia I,” spiced by Jac Grenfell's depiction of the geometric body at the center of the engraving. Veiting Norba Didzis Eglitis, Latvia, 2007; 3m An accidental encounter on a sidewalk spins a group waiting for the garbage collector into a chain reaction likely to provoke a smile. Dance Like Your Old Man Gideon Obarzanek and Edwina Throsby, Australia, 2007; 10m Six women pay tribute to their dads, imitating their dancing styles. Winner of the CINEDANS Award 2008. Day Off Karn Junkinsmith, USA, 2007; 8m A day off from the convent means a dance through the suburban streets of north Seattle for six novices in this charming black-and-white short. Introduced by the director. Of the Heart Douglas Rosenberg and Allan Kaeja, USA, 2008; 6m A tender trio for the camera in a windblown field, with heartfelt performances by David Dorfman and his wife. Introduced by the directors. Liberamae Marie-Christine LeTourneux, Canada, 2008; 21m

7. The nightmare of a timid introvert (Louis-Martin Charest), performed with grace and despite his torture. Introduced by LeTourneux, choreographer and performer Louis-Martin Charest, and writer Sébastien Tétreault. Manuelle Labor Marie Losier, USA, 2007; 10m Made in collaboration with Canadian director Guy Maddin, this film involves two sisters, five brothers, a doctor, two nurses and the miraculous birth of a pair of hands. Introduced by the director. Karohano Jeannette Ginslov, South Africa, 2008; 9m Three young men dancing on the streets of downtown Johannesburg reveal aspects of African male identity through subtle shifts of physical satire. Bardo Richard Move, USA, 2007; 5m A hypnotic “Lamentation Variation 2,” choreographed by Richard Move and commissioned by the Martha Graham Dance Company, as performed by Katherine Crockett. Introduced by the director. Mysteries of Nature Dahci Ma, South Korea, 2008; 10m “Torn into bits and gone with the wind.” A haiku of a dance film. Gentle Shift Patrick Lovejoy, USA, 2008; 5m An elegant choreography of the cinema space created by sliding framed images of the body in time with a jazz score. Fri Jan 9: 6:15 pm Sun Jan 11: 8:30pm

VSPRS Show and Tell Sophie Fiennes, Belgium, 2006; 72m Trailblazing Belgian choreographer Alain Platel and iconoclastic filmmaker Sophie Fiennes (A Pervert’s Guide to Cinema) provide a contemporary interpretation of Monteverdi’s “Maria Vespers,” one of the major works of European religious music, through virtuoso soloists and ensembles creating their own amazing new movement language. The result was described by one critic as “the weirdest, most shocking and provocative performance you will ever see.” Fiennes will introduce and answer questions following the screenings. Thanks to Lois Dino, Brian Ackerman and Thom Powers for their support. Fri Jan 9: 8:30pm Sun Jan 11: 6:15pm

FREE TALK: UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF BUSBY BERKELEY Choreographer and filmmaker Kriota Willberg explores Berkeley's influence on modern- day filmmaking, music videos, and commercials. Free to the public. In the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery, adjacent to the Walter Reade Theater. Sat Jan 10: 3:00pm

BLITHE SPIRITS: RUDAVSKY MEETS BUSBY BERKELEY Slovakian artist Ondrej Rudavsky’s expressions of the subconscious gone into dream mode are a captivating prelude to Busby Berkeley’s extravaganzas. J. Hoberman, Village 8. Voice film critic and author of a book on the making of Berkeley’s 42nd Street, will introduce this 75th anniversary screening of Dames. WORLD PREMIERE ON HD Celestial Riddle Ondrej Rudavsky, USA, 2008; 4m Kiko Ondrej Rudavsky, USA, 2004; 4m Carnival Ondrej Rudavsky, USA, 1994; 4m WORLD PREMIERE Echo Dance Ondrej Rudavsky, USA, 2008; 3m Dames Ray Enright and Busby Berkeley, USA, 1934; 90m Busby Berkeley created some of the most awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping production numbers in Hollywood musical history. This backstage, putting-on-a-show musical stands out for its bright comic turns by ZaSu Pitts, Guy Kibbee and the inimitable Joan Blondell (catch her as the laundress in “The Girl at the Ironing Board” number). For romance, there’s Dick Powell and . For eye candy, “I Only Have Eyes for You” and the title number with chorus girls, bathtubs, alarm clocks, you name ’em! Sat Jan 10: 4:00pm

The Gang’s All Here Busby Berkeley, USA, 1943; 103m Berkeley’s first color film is a musical confection featuring Carmen Miranda as the Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat, accompanied by chorus girls with human-size bananas. Enjoy the tunes of Harry Warren, the dizzy humor of Charlotte Greenwood, and the wonderful performances of Alice Faye, looking glam in living color. Eugene Pallette and Edward Everett Horton add silliness and cheer. “The Gang’s All Here contains more energy and imagination than all of Berkeley’s work for MGM put together,” says film historian Martin Rubin. See for yourself in a new 35mm studio print. Sat Jan 10: 6:30pm

MEMORIES História Karsten Liske, Germany, 2007; 45m A young woman’s short life is visualized in this dramatic interplay of choreographic and abstract images. Within the silence among family and friends following a funeral procession through various parts of a Portuguese city, a moving narrative captures the interval between life and death. Awarded best dance film at the NapoliDanza Festival 2008. Director Karsten Liske and performer Claudia de Serpa Soares will introduce the screenings. Nora Alla Kovgan and David Hinton, USA/Zimbabwe/Mozambique/UK, 2008; 35m A highlight of our “EMPAC Dance Movies” program, Nora, the captivating autobiographical film about Zimbabwean dancer/choreographer Nora Chiumpiere, is paired with História to create a spellbinding onscreen dialogue on life and love. Sat Jan 10: 8:45pm 9. Sun Jan 11: 4:15pm

The Blue Bird Maurice Tourneur, USA, 1918; 81m Two children—a girl and a boy named Mytyl and Tytyl (Tula Belle and Robin Macdougall)—are joined by the fairy Berylune (Lillian Cook) in their quest for the elusive Blue Bird of Happiness. Reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz with allusions to “,” this silent film fantasy has its own distinct, Old-World charm. Preserved with its original color tints, this well-worn print is still breathtaking and lovely to behold. Live piano accompaniment by Ben Model. This rare retrospective is courtesy of George Eastman House. Sun Jan 11: 2:00pm

The Chosen One / Ishanou Aribam Syam Sharma, India, 1991; 95m One of the hits of the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, The Chosen One, based on a story by M.K. Binodini Devi, is a rich melodrama that contrasts ordinary domestic life with the strange rituals of a Meitei matriarchal cult. All is domestic bliss for happily married Tampha, until she is seized by a divine possession that dramatically alters her life. Rhoda Grauer, Emmy-winning producer, writer and filmmaker, and dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, will introduce the screening on Saturday, Jan. 17. With the support of the Indo American Arts Council. Thanks to Somi Roy. Fri Jan 16: 3:30pm Sat Jan 17: 1:00pm

AMERICAN MASTERS: JEROME ROBBINS Something to Dance About Judy Kinberg, 2008, USA; 112m Directed and produced by six-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Judy Kinberg and written by best-selling Jerome Robbins biographer Amanda Vaill, this extraordinary documentary examines Robbins’s creative process, perfectionism, and the controversies that plagued his life. Kinberg uncovers never-before-seen rehearsal footage and interviews many of his esteemed colleagues, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Suzanne Farrell, Jacques d'Amboise, Chita Rivera, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents. Experience the film on the big screen prior to its PBS airing on Feb. 18. A panel discussion with Kinberg, Vaill, dancer and choreographer Donald Saddler, former New York City Ballet principal dancer Maria Calegari, and other guests will follow the screening. Fri Jan 16: 6:15pm

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