The New York City–based Dance on Camera film festival, heading into its 54th year, recently named Cara Hagan its new executive director. Hagan brings a wealth of experience in the realms of both dance and film, as a filmmaker, curator, scholar, writer, and college educator. In 2010, she became the first Black woman to create […]

In partnership with the New York City Metro branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and producer HunterPark, dance filmmaker Ezra Hurwitz created “Inside & Outwards” to bring awareness to the mental health challenges of isolation caused by the pandemic. Narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker, with original music by Sufjan Stevens and choreography by […]

Much of the dance world is migrating from the stage to the screen right now. But many artists have been making dance films since long before COVID-19 hit. Last week, I spoke with Charles “Lil Buck” Riley and filmmaker Patrick Fraser for an exclusive Zoom Q&A and screening hosted by Dance Media. We chatted about […]

This short film, by director William Armstrong, captures Paul Lightfoot‘s creation of a piece about losing his father to COVID-19. Unable to visit the hospital to say goodbye, Lightfoot choreographed the work to process his grief and reflect on the loss. Nederlands Dans Theater dancer Sebastian Kirstensen Haynes performs it to original music by Alexander […]

Even dancers who love their isolations and hip rolls might be totally unaware of where jazz dance comes from. Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance, which premieres at the Dance on Camera Festival on Sunday, July 19, aims to change that. Directed by Khadifa Wong and produced by Lisa Donmall-Reeve, the feature-length documentary is a […]

Known as the “mother of contemporary African dance,” Senegalese-French dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny first saw Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring performed by dancers of the Paris Opéra Ballet. Presented with the tale of human sacrifice and gender relationships, she couldn’t help but draw parallels between the ritualistic choreography and traditions from her African […]

“The art was telling me that things had to change. And they had to change big. Something I created needed to die off. When the company was at its height, when it was at its most successful, I closed it down.” These puzzling words are spoken by choreographer Trey McIntyre in Gravity Hero, his new […]

At the Dance on Camera Kickoff Gala on July 16, Dance Films Association honored two beloved dance artists from different generations: Jacques d’Amboise and Trey McIntyre. After a composite of d’Amboise’s charismatic dancing was shown, Jacques regaled us with stories. He didn’t talk about dancing for Mr. B, he didn’t talk about his dazzling turns […]