DANCE NEW AIR 2018

“GOSHOGAOKA” is created in 1997 by Sharlon LOCKHART, established unique presence in the field of fine arts with her cross-cutting works of static arts and films: photographs and video works. In front of the drape in the gymnasium of Junior High School in suburban Japan, the choreographed exercise of a girls’ basketball team becomes routine and ritual. A photograph of this scene gives us “dynamic” impact, but on the other hand, the scene filmed by a fixed camera is very much “static”. Carefully filmed the girls’ choreographed movement, this film can recognized as a portrait of our society.

“Five Easy Pieces” is a collection of 5 short movies created from 1966 to 1969 by Yvonne RAINER, a highly respected choreographer/dancer in postmodern dance. Her conceptual films are highly regarded as one of the best structural films in North America of the time.

“Hand Movie”
8mm (Digital)/1966/5min.

“Volley Ball”
16mm (Digital)/1967/10min.

“Rhode Island Red”
16mm (Digital)/1968/10min.

“Trio Film”
16mm (Digital)/1968/13min.
with Steve PAXTON and Becky ARNOLD Camera: Phil NIBLOCK

“Line”
16mm (Digital)/1969/10min.
with Suzan Marshall Camera: Phil NIBLOCK

Michael SNOW is a musician, artist and filmmaker. Collaborated with a technician, he developed a robotic arm moving a camera freely both vertically and horizontally. “La Region Centrale” is the one he filmed with it. The camera attached to the arm films uninhabited wilderness from all the directions. This program doesn’t need human intervention and it enable the camera to capture breathtaking images which we cannot see with our eyes. This is not only the best work of Snow but also a masterpiece of history of films. “An eye without body”(Snow) leads us to genuine heights of film works.

“One Way Boogie Woogie” (1978) consists from 60 one-minute shots which filmed in Milwaukee, BENNING’s home. With personal story and abstract expression sitting together in the film, BENNING’s films show a new style of storytelling in films, which can be recognized as both documentary and narrative. And for this festival, “One Way Boogie Woogie” is screened with “27 Years Later” (2005) filmed 27 years later with the same cast, in the same location and the same structure. Every 60 shots has its own rich depth and mechanism as if each shot is independent film.

In this documentary film, staring at the garden in a drizzle, Takuzo KUBIKUKURI talks about his own activity. He had been taking an action of “hanging”for more than 40 years. And then the camera filmed him performing his “hanging” in front his partner, Mika KUROSAWA, choreographer / dancer. Namiko KAWAMURA, an artist of forward walking, appears in the middle of the film. This is a memorial screening for Takuzo who died in March 2018.

*Post-ScreeningTalk: Yasuko YOKOSHI xYasunori IKUNOSHI (directorm artist and filmmaker)