Dance for the Camera Symposium

February 9-13, 2000 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

View webcasts of the symposium proceedings
Detailed schedule of the symposium.
Detailed schedule of the video dance workshop.

Some of the most influential dance/film and video makers, curators and theorists of the 20th century will gather to share their Dance for the Camera expertise in a public forum on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus February 9-13, 2000. The symposium is dedicated to the late Hilary Harris, a seminal figure in cine-dance.

"This historic meeting will attract not only scholars and practitioners of the genre but choreographers and video/film makers who are new to the art form as well," says UW Dance Program assistant professor Douglas Rosenberg. "It's an incredible opportunity for students and the public to learn how the art form evolved and continues to evolve as technology becomes more and more sophisticated."

Included among special guest speakers are:

Elliott Caplan, filmmaker in residence at the Cunningham Dance Foundation from 1983 to 1998 where he collaborated with Merce Cunningham and John Cage in the production of a wide range of creative and archival films and videos of Cunningham's choreography;

Doris Chase, internationally acclaimed visual artist and multimedia pioneer whose sculpture and work in video are in collections around the world. Recently her 15-ton bronze sculpture, "Moon Gates," was installed in Seattle Center's public outdoor sculpture garden;

Elaine Summers, a pioneer of intermedia performance who combines dance with film, sculpture, theatre pieces and music. Ms. Summers has made fifteen films and is a research scholar on the subject of historic FilmDance; and

"The Village Trilogy." Dancers: Jim Allodi and Jane Townsend. Director/choregrapher: Laura Taler. Photo by: Melinda Wiltshire-Gibson

International artists include: Rodrigo Alonso, Argentina (curator/historian), Nuria Font, Spain (curator), Sita Popat, England (choreographer/dance researcher), Ami Skanberg, Sweden (choreographer/filmmaker), Silvina Szperling, Argentina (dance video artist/curator), Steve Jackman, England, and Laura Taler, Canada (director). United States artists and scholars incude: Ellen Bromberg (choreographer), Amy Greenfield (filmmaker), Daniel Nagrin (choreographer), Lisa Naugle (dance/technology), Deirdre Towers (executive director, Dance Films Association), Malcolm Turvey (film scholar), Wendy Woodson (choreographer, video dance maker), and University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty Sally Banes (dance historian), Noel Carroll (philosopher/writer), Joseph Koykkar (composer), Li Chiao-Ping (choreographer/video dance maker), Douglas Rosenberg (video artist/director), Jin-Wen Yu (choreographer), Martha Curtis, and UW-Madison alum Jeffrey Gray Miller (performance technologist).

In addition to generating dialogue on the history and theory of Dance for the Camera, the symposium includes roundtable discussions, lectures, and curated screenings of selected dance film and video works from around the world. The evening screenings are free and open to the public. A two-day hands-on video dance workshop will follow.

Please see links at the top of this page for a schedule of events and presenters.

Registration fees are $50 for each two-day session or $100 for both sessions.

UW-Madison students and faculty will be admitted free but are required to register in advance.

Session I -- The Symposium, February 9-11, 2000
Session II -- Video Dance Workshop, February 12-13, 2000

Most activities will take place in Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Avenue on the UW-Madison campus. Symposium sponsors include the University of Wisconsin-Madison Anonymous Fund, Dance Program and School of Education. For more information, contact Douglas Rosenberg at (608) 262-2871, rosend@education.wisc.edu, or the UW Dance Program offices at (608) 262-1691.