Celebrating the vibrant art of dance, Dance Camera West (DCW) presents the 14th Annual Dance Media Festival, a public event incorporating dance explored through film and live performance. Taking place at various venues in Beverly Hills (UTA Screening Room), Downtown Los Angeles (MOCA, historic Palace Theatre, REDCAT), Hollywood (historic Egyptian Theatre), Santa Monica (Aero Theatre), and Westwood (Crest Theater, UCLA) from April 30 – May 5, 2015, this multi-disciplinary festival promises to offer something for everyone and will showcase many forms of dance including modern, post modern, world, tap, dance theater, ballet, hip-hop and practically all dance that has been captured on film in a way that is of quality and essential value. Over 30 films will be screened over the course of the Festival connecting diverse cultures and environments through the exploration of dance.

DCW aspires to awaken and infuse the public mainstream with a desire for critical creative programming. The vision of DCW is to present the visual language of dance on screen in a way that stretches the imagination and changes the way we think about dance.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.DanceCameraWest.org.

Dance Media Festival Schedule:
Thursday, April 30 – Festival Kickoff, UTA Screening Room, Beverly Hills, Screening begins at 7:30pm, Cocktails and appetizers at 6:30pm, $75
Escualo – USA, 2014, 4:00; Martin & Facundo Lombard (directors/choreography); A powerful new piece from the Lombard Twins.
Dancing is Living: Benjamin Millepied – France, 2014, 57:00 – West Coast Premiere; Louis Wallecan (filmmaker), This engaging documentary chronicles Benjamin Millepied (choreographer of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan), the newly appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet and founder of L.A. Dance Project, as a globe-trotting ambassador for dance: in rehearsal with his company in L.A., hanging out with Lil Buck, and sharing his ideas about life and dance.

​Photo credit: Dancing is Living – Benjamin Millepied

Friday, May 1 – Opening Night Shorts, The Palace Theatre, Downtown LA, 7pm, $15
A selection of top international short films;
ME – A Story of a Performance – Finland, 2014, 7:30; Jopsu Ramu (director), Johanna Nuutinen (choreographer); We follow the performance from different perspectives: how it is perceived by the dancer, the audience and how it can be seen from an objective point of view as a mere code.
Cracks – Spain, 2013, 4:45; Alex Pachon (director/choreographer); Every sound generates a movement and every movement produces a sound.
Pas – Canada, 2014, 15:00; Frédérique Cournoyer-Lessard (filmmaker); The dance and the acrobatics deeply move between narrative plots and visual poetry.
Fuel for Thought – India/UK, 2014, 4:04; Michael Joseph (filmmaker); Choreographer Hemabharathy Palani’s response to Hip Hop artist Mikey J Asante’s track, creating striking imagery against large-scale outdoor scenery and intimate spaces in India.
AM/FM – USA, 2014, 4:45; Morgan Wise (filmmaker), Robert Moses (choreographer); A romantic afternoon car ride turns into a surprising physical contest when a young couple has to choose between two competing radio stations.
Gone – Iceland, 2013, 16:00; Helena Jonsdottir/Vera Solvadóttir (filmmakers); Who is living your life at the moment? Your guest is not always your guest…
Martiality, Not Fighting – China, 2012, 10:00; Marianne M. Kim/Cheng-Chieh Yu (directors); A young Chinese dancer performs the role of conscientious objector
Amandi – Spain, 2014, 7:00; Francesc SitgesSardà/Elisabet Prandi (filmmakers), Claudi Bombardó Oriol (choreographer); A full blend made of nature, woods and weird landscapes with two characters whom travel through that space in constant transformation trying to fit in, to blend in.

See image: ​Photo credit – The Unfinished Dance

Saturday, May 2 (day) – The Crest Theatre, Westwood
Program 1: 2:30pm; $15
I Was Within – USA, 2014, 9:46; Jenny Stulberg (filmmaker), Jenny Stulberg/Sebastian Grubb (choreographer); Examines the course of a relationship through the multi-faceted elements of love, loss, time, and identity.
Fall to Rise – USA, 2014, 92:00; Jayce Bartok (filmmaker), Catherine Cabeen (choreographer); Who Will Catch You When You Fall? A famous principal dancer injures her knee and attempts to settle into motherhood only to realize she has no identity without dance, and struggles to return with the help of an equally troubled former company dancer.

Program 2: Celebrating Technicolor 100th Anniversary; 4:30pm; $15
The Unfinished Dance – USA, 1947, 101:00; Henry Koster (director); Meg, a young ballet student, idolizes the school’s top ballerina, the shallow Ariane Bouchet. Meg is distressed when she learns that visiting prima ballerina Darina rather than Bouchet will play the lead in the school’s production of “Swan Lake.” On opening night, Meg arranges an accident which nearly kills Darina and ends her dancing career. As a result, Bouchet becomes a star, while Meg is torn with guilt. Stars Margaret O’Brien and Cyd Charisse.

Saturday, May 2 (evening) – The Aero Theatre, Santa Monica, 7:30pm, $11

I Hate Dancing – Canada, 2014, 2:17; Jo Roy (filmmaker/choreographer); The repulsive nature of dance as told through dance.
American Cheerleader – USA, 2014, 89:00; David Barba/James Pellerito (filmmakers), Hank Light/Jason Keogh (choreographers); Set in the competitive world of cheerleading, the journey of two high school teams vying for the coveted National High School Cheerleading Championship Title.

See image: ​Photo credit – Pas

Sunday, May 3 (day) – The Museum of Contemporary Art, Downtown LA

Israel Past and Future – 1pm; $15 (includes Museum admission)
Ze’eva Cohen: Creating a Life in Dance – USA, 2014, 32:00; Sharon Kaufman (filmmaker); Spanning 70 years, how an artist can survive in the dance world by carving out an independent path for herself.
Glove Story – Israel, 2013, 38:00; Oren Shkedy (director), Dana Ruttenberg (choreographer); Explores the notion of personal space and the all-too-often invasion into it. It asks the question: what are the psychological, physical and social repercussions of treating borders as mere suggestions?
Renewal – USA/Israel, 2014, 40:00; Stacey Menchel Kussell (filmmaker); In their pioneering Eco-Arts village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the Vertigo Dance Company in performance and rehearsals, and their ecological pursuits including gray water recycling and permaculture.

Animate Life: Dance! – 3pm; $15 (includes Museum admission)
Choreography and Animation Technology Panel Discussion
Frank Gladstone,Gladstone Film; Peggy Holmes, Disney Toon Studios; and others tba
Illumination, education and examination, both contemporarily and historically, of the relationship between Animation and Dance through discussion and screenings.

Sunday, May 3 (evening) – REDCAT, Downtown LA
Program 1 – 5:30pm; $15
CalArts Emerging Artists Competition
Jiri Kylian: Forgotten Memories – France, 2011, 52:00 – West Coast Premiere; Don Kent/Christian Dumais-Lvowski (filmmaker); World-renowned Czech choreographer Jiri Kylian, a singular artist whose vision has inspired dancers and choreographers around the globe.

See image: ​Photo credit – Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity

Program 2 – 7:30pm; $15
Continuum – France, 2014, 9:15; Natalianne Boucher (director); Explores time and space through dance and animation techniques.
Born To Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity – USA, 2014, 82:00; Catherine Gund (director); Motley troupe of flyers and crashers, propelled by Elizabeth Streb’s edict that “anything too safe is not action,” these daredevils challenge the assumptions of art, aging, injury, gender, and human possibility. Breathtaking tale about the necessity of art, inspiring audiences hungry for a more tactile and fierce existence in the world.

Monday, May 4 – UCLA Moore Lecture Hall, Special Campus Screening, 5:00pm, Free
– Canada, 2015, 5:44; Marlene Millar (filmmaker), Sandy Silva (choreographer); Migratory journey of percussive dancers who rely on their hands, feet and sonic bodies to create a unique soundtrack as they move through water, wind and sand interpreting the preparation, departure, and flight of their collective journey.
Let’s Get the Rhythm: Life and Times of Miss Mary Mack – USA, 2014, 55:00; Irene Chagall (filmmaker); Celebrates the wondrous world of hand clapping games, a traditional genre that thrives on the playgrounds of large cities and in remote corners of the world.

Tuesday, May 5 (evening) – Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood
4th Annual Dance-A- Long, 6:30pm, Free
Bring your dancing shoes, friends and family for a fun dance lesson prior to the screeening

Final Festival Screening – 7:30pm; $11
Dancing for my Havana – Italy/Cuba, 2015, 112:00; Claudio Del Punta (filmmaker), Yordan Mayedo Perez (choreographer); Young Cuban dancers struggling to achieve fame and fortune on the world stage, while honoring their intense love for the people and creative energy they find only in their homeland.

Dance Camera West is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and developing the vibrant art of dance media. DCW connects diverse cultures and environments through its exploration of dance on screen, bringing hundreds of challenging and provocative films to Los Angeles from around the globe, effectively bridging the gap between the uniquely influential Los Angeles film community and the significant local dance populace. Even more importantly, Dance Camera West utilizes the accessible nature of dance as a non-verbal art form to reach across cultural, geographic, and socio-economic divides by making a special effort to engage a wide range of Los Angeles audiences of varying ethnicities and interests, offering everyone a chance to experience the thought-provoking thrill of dance media.

Globally speaking, Dance Camera West is one of only a handful of organizations that presents dance media. Given that distinction, DCW has been fortunate to partner with some of the most prominent venues and organizations throughout the Los Angeles area. Co-presenters have included the Getty Center, REDCAT at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Directors Guild of America, the Hammer Museum, and many others.

See image: ​Photo credit –  The Unfinished Dance 

Dance Camera West is a 501(c)3 dance media arts organization committed to fostering and promoting the vibrant art of dance film from around the globe. We seek to interconnect diverse populations and environments through the innovative art fusion – dance on screen, which merges performance and cinematic aesthetics.

Ticket Prices: Free – $15; Festival Kickoff $75; To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE!

What: Dance Camera West
Where: Venues all over Los Angeles
When: Thursday, April 30 – Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Website: www.dancecamerawest.org