The American Dance Guild presents
the New Dance Group gala concert an historic retrospective
of New Dance Group presentations, 1930's-1970's.
1994. 1 videocassette (160 min.). This Gala Concert
was produced by the American Dance Guild in June
1993. The 18 recreated dances and excerpts celebrate
and honor the achievements of the New Dance Group.
Includes mini-interviews with the choreographers.
VHS 2556
America the dancing ground. 199?
1 videocassette (28 min.). Shows the importance
of dance in American culture from the native American
dances and dances brought from Europe by the earliest
settlers to the twentieth century innovations by
Isadora Duncan, Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Dennis, Martha
Graham and others. Excerpts from works by several
dance companies show the variety of dance types
that are part of American culture. VHS 2289
An evening of dance and conversation
with Martha Graham. 1984. 1 videocassette (85
min.). Performances of three of Graham's creations:
Errand into the maze, Acts of light, Cave of the
heart. VHS 507
Behind the scenes with David Parsons.
Behind the scenes: Curriculum Materials Center.
1992. 1 videocassette (30 min.). A visit with choreographer
David Parsons who shows how movement is transformed
into pattern in dance. VHS 1929
Bill T. Jones dancing to the promised
land. VIEW Video dance series: Dance series
(View Video). 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
This video guides the viewer through rehearsals
and performance of choreographer Bill T. Jones'
most highly regarded work, Last Supper at Uncle
Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land, as performed by the
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co. VHS 3015
Bill T. Jones Still/Here. The
Moyers collection. 1997. 1 videocassette (56
min.). A look at dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones's
highly acclaimed dance,"Still/Here." At
workshops around the country, people facing life-threatening
illnesses are asked to remember the highs and lows
of their lives, and even imagine their own deaths.
They then transform these feelings into expressive
movement, which Jones incorporates into the dance
"Still/Here." Jones demonstrates the movements
of his life story -- his first encounter with white
people, confusion over his sexuality, his partner
Arnie Zane's untimely death from AIDS, and Jones's
own HIV status. VHS 5565
Blue studio five segments. 1976.
1 videocassette (15 min.). "Blue Studio is
a solo videodance for Merce Cunningham. Cunningham's
choreography emphasizes the body's natural articulation,
incorporating ordinary gestures and movements, while
using abstract space to achieve a synthesis of dance
and video in a performance that would be impossible
to stage. The title is derived from the technique
of "chromakeying," whereby imagery can
be superimposed upon the blue area of a video image.
Blue Studio extends video beyond its previous limits
as a hybrid form, using the medium to create an
entirely new dance space." Summary taken from
Cunningham Dance Foundation website [http://www.merce.org].
VHS 5974
Camera three presents a video event,
part I ; Camera three presents : a video event,
part II. 1999. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Two
programs, recorded on one tape, contain important
archival works of Merce Cunningham from the early
1960s and 1970s. Presents an experimental marriage
of dance and video. Excerpts are included of: Winterbranch,
Second Hand, Sounddance, TV Rerun, Changing steps,
Landrover and Signals. Cunningham discusses his
ideas and approach to dancing. He says they are
not concerts but "events." His commentary
links the various aspects of the performances. VHS
5973
Charles Weidman on his own. 1990.
1 videocassette (59 min.). Charles Weidman's career
is traced from his early roots to his partnership
with Doris Humphrey and the last 30 years on his
own. Contains historic footage of Weidman (and Humphrey)
in performance, speaking about his work, teaching
about his work, and also teaching a class in kinetic
pantomime. Has contemporary performance of Lunchtown
plus excerpts from: On My Mother's Side, Flickers,
Brahms Waltzes, and Christmas Oratorio. VHS 1029
Circles-cycles Kathak dance. 1989.
1 videocassette (ca. 28 min.). Illustrates the concept
of the circular in Indian philosophy and religion
as it is portrayed in Kathak, the classical dance
form of North India. VHS 732
Classical Indian dance. Classical
images. 1995. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Presents
classical dances from India, demonstrating the range
of this art form with its combination of mime, gesture,
facial expression and body movement, all executed
within a traditional framework rich in allegory.
VHS 4591
Dance and human history. 1976.
1 videocassette (40 min.). Introduces the work of
Alan Lomax and his colleagues in developing
choreometrics, a cross-cultural method of studying
the relationship of dance style to social structure.
Shows how the group, including Forrestine Paulay
and Irmgard Bartenieff, analyzed dance films from
all over the world and established a connection
between patterns of movement and patterns of culture.
VHS 257
Dance at court. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines
court dances in several different societies: England,
Japan, Ghana, Java, France, and Russia. Imperial
families nurtured court dance as an art form during
peacetime. VHS 2294
Dance Black America. 1990. 1 videocassette
(87 min.). Documents a four-day festival of dancers
and dance companies held at the Brooklyn Academy
of Music. VHS 1030
Dance centerstage. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines
classical theater dances in Russia and Japan. Ballet,
based on 17th century court dances of Louis XIV,
was developed in St. Petersburg; the Kirov Ballet
serves as the modern example. The Kabuki emerged
from the streets of Kyoto. VHS 2296
Dance for a chicken the Cajun Mardi
Gras. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Presents
footage of a traditional Cajun Mardi Gras celebration
centered around chickens. VHS 3068
Dance Theatre of Harlem. 1989.
1 videocassette (120 min.). Features 4 full-length
works: Fall River Legend, Agnes de Mille's rendition
of the Lizzie Borden ax-murders; Troy Game, Robert
North's satire of machismo attitudes in sports;
The Beloved, Lester Horton's vignette of violence
and fanaticism between a minister and his wife;
and John Henry, Arthur Mitchell's retelling of the
legendary folk hero's story. Includes narration
by company members and Artistic Director Arthur
Mitchell. VHS 1023
A dancer's world ; Night journey ;
Appalachian spring. The Library of master
performers: Dance series. 198-. 1 videocassette
(93 min.). A compilation of three works dealing
with Martha Graham, one of which is an introduction
by Graham to her methodology, the other two being
complete dance works produced by Nathan Kroll. A
dancer's world demonstrates the beauty of expression
through movement. Night journey is a re-telling
of the Oedipus legend. Appalachian spring is an
American folk tale about a newly married couple
on the frontier. VHS 544
Dancing in one world. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program was
made with dancers from the Pacific Rim Area including
the United States (Afro-Americans, American Indians,
and Hawaiians), Polynesia, Australia, and Indonesia.
These dancers also took part in the Los Angeles
Festival. Includes archival film footage. VHS 2298
Dancing outlaw. 1997? 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Jesse ( Jesco) White from Boone County,
West Virginia, is called "the last mountain
dancer." In trouble with the law when he was
young, he displays three distinct personalities:
the dancer, Jesco the devil, and Elvis Presley.
Without these talents, "he'd be locked away
in a crazy house.". VHS 4901
Dancing. 1993. 8 videocassettes
(ca. 464 min.). Probes the traditions of dance in
communities around the world -- from the often misunderstood
waltz to the eloquent gestures of an Asante court
dancer in Ghana, and from the latest hip-hop in
Morocco to a ballet class in Russia and a modern
dance rehearsal in New York. VHS 2291-2298
Denishawn the contributions of American
dance pioneers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn.
1988. 1 videocassette (40 min.). Chronicles the
unique era of modern dance inspired by Ruth St.
Denis and Ted Shawn. Archival footage and modern
reconstruction of several Denishawn dances are used
to document the lives and work of the Denishawn
founders. VHS 4148
Dido & Aeneas. 1995. 1 videocassette
(55 min.). A danced performance of the Baroque opera
Dido and Aeneas. Dido, the noble queen of Carthage,
has fallen in love with the Trojan Prince Aeneas.
While the court celebrates the imminent union of
the two monarchs, the evil sorceress with her coven
of witches plots their downfall. Romance leads to
hearbreak and tragedy. VHS 4154
Donald McKayle conversations with
contemporary masters of American modern dance.
Speaking of dance. 1992. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Contains interviews, performance and
teaching footage of Donald McKayle. VHS 2034
Embracing earth dances with nature.
1995. 1 videocassette (23 min.). A series of modern
dance performances, under the direction of Anna
Halprin, in which dancers interact with the shapes,
rhythms, and textures of the environment in their
natural settings. Dancers encourage the viewers
to recognize nature as a source of internal inspiration
and creativity and understand that "We dance
with earth, and earth dances with us.". VHS
4718
European Tanztheater. 1997. 1
videocassette (62 min.). European dance theater
comes alive through the works and voices of its
creators and fascinating narrative about its originators.
Archival footage and beautifully filmed and edited
excerpts of current repertory demonstrate the forms
and power of this genre. VHS 5149
Five dances by Martha Graham.
1995. 1 videocassette (85 min.). A performance of
five dances by Martha Graham and her dance troupe
which exemplify diverse aspects of Graham's unique
style of modern dance. VHS 4307
Fractions I a video dance. 1990?
1 videocassette (33 min.). "In Fractions I,
as many as four video monitors share the screen
space with the dancers. Projected on the monitors
are both images of dancers absent from the dance
space and close-ups of dancers who are present in
that space. This division of the frame into parts
or "fractions," allowed filmmaker Atlas
to group more dancers into the frame, while still
achieving greater depth and fluidity of movement
by alternating between the monitors and the studio
space." Summary taken from Cunningham Dance
Foundation website [http://www.merce.org]. VHS
5975
Free to dance. Dance in America.
2000. 3 videocassettes (171 min.). The history of
African American dance; emphasizes the role that
African-American choreographers and dancers have
played in the development of modern dance as an
American form of art. Featuring the African American
Dance Ensemble and other Black dance groups. VHS
6839
Garth Fagan's Griot New York.
Dance in America. 1995. 1 videocassette (85
min.). Following brief interviews with Garth Fagan
and Wynton Marsalis, the program includes a complete
performance of Griot New York. The concept of a
griot, a West African storyteller who keeps the
cultural heritage of a people alive, is used to
depict the non-European culture of New York City,
and particularly the African and Caribbean backgrounds
of some of its residents. VHS 3238
Given to dance India's Odissi tradition.
1986. 1 videocassette (57 min.). An account of the
thousand-year tradition of Hindu temple dancing
at the Temple of Joggernaut and elsewhere in eastern
India and of the women who perform the dances. Concentrates
on the Odissi tradition of dancing. VHS 1072
Hanya, portrait of a dance pioneer.
1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Using archival
footage from the 30's and 40's, and interviews with
many of her students, this film traces the career
of Hanya Holm, dancer-choreographer, from the 20's
through the Broadway stage. VHS 510
He makes me feel like dancin'.
1987. 1 videocassette (51 min.). Jacques d'Amboise,
principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, teaches
children dance during school hours in fourteen schools
in the metropolitan area. Tells the story of the
children's experiences, from auditions, through
the teaching process, culminating in an event at
Madison Square Garden in which 1,000 children participate
and celebrities perform with them. VHS 1073
Il Ballarino the art of Renaissance
dance. 1990. 1 videocassette (33 min.). Authentic
Renaissance court dances and the gestures and step
vocabulary associated with them are demonstrated
and described by noted dance historian and musicologist
Julia Sutton from dance manuals of the 16th century
Italian masters Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri.
VHS 1310
Introduction to Baroque dance dance
types. 1999. 2 videocassettes (67 min.). Acclaimed
Baroque dancer Paige Whitley-Bauguess demonstrates
and performs Baroque dance techniques. Includes:
demonstrations of step sequences from Raoul-Auger
Feuillet's 1700 publication "Choregraphie "
and step sequences from specific choreographies
preserved in 18th century dance notation; descriptions
of the dances found in music and dance writings
from the period; discussions and examples showing
music and dance rhythm relationships; performances
in costume of complete social and theatrical dances
reconstructed from 18th century dance notation to
illustrate each dance type. VHS 5960
Isadora Duncan dance technique and
repertory . 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.).
Includes excerpts from choreography by Isadora Duncan,
as performed by Julia Levien in the company of Anna
Duncan and Irma Duncan, and staged by Andrea Mantell-Seidel.
Includes a History of the Duncan dance schools.
VHS 3159
José Greco in performance. Voice
of Firestone classic performances. 1990. 1 videocassette
(26 min.). VHS 1367
Kombina Dance Company, Jerusalem.
1919. 1 videocassette (ca. 39 min.). VHS 6660
Limón's legacy ; Nik. 198? 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Limón's legacy: the José Limón Dance
Company presents excerpts from its varied repertoire
as a tribute to José Limón. Beginning with Doris
Humphrey, and carried on by José Limón and Ruth
Currier, the choreography attempts to incorporate
everyday movement into dance to illustrate man's
condition. Nik: Alwin Nikolais discusses his incorporation
of both motion and visual art, particularly sculpture,
into his choreography. He also uses light and shadow
to create visual illusions. The Nikolais Dance Theatre
performs excerpts from his works and is also shown
in rehearsal. VHS 2290
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. 1995-1996.
4 videocassettes (255? min.). Shehechianu is based
on a Jewish prayer of reconciliation. (The third
part was recently completed and the entire work
had its world premiere in June, 1997.) It and the
other works performed by this intergenerational
dance company explore events in human history and
interpersonal relations, focussing on how victims
deal with psychological and physical mistreatment.
VHS 4317
Lord of the dance. 1997. 1 videocassette
(ca. 90 min.). "Michael Flatley takes to the
stage in a stunning Celtic dance spectacular which
re-tells Irish folk legend in a dazzling and updated
style.". VHS 4445
Lord of the dance. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (58 min.). "What cultural
beliefs have shaped the great traditions of sacred
and secular dance?" This program explores
the views of various religions toward the human
body and thus toward religion and it examines dances
of Christian sects in Seville, Spain, and the Yoruba
religion in Nigeria. VHS 2292
Lucas Hoving conversations with contemporary
masters of American modern dance. Speaking
of dance. 1992. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Contains
interviews, performance and teaching footage of
Lucas Hoving. VHS 2031
The Men who danced. 1985. 1 videocassette
(30 min.). Presents the story of the first all-male
dance company in the U.S., Ted Shawn's Male Dancers
and the founding of the summer dance school, Jacob's
Pillow. Includes historic footage of the company
performing in the 1930's. Features interviews with
surviving male dancers, including Barton Mumaw,
at the 50th reunion of the company in 1983, with
a taped over-voice of Shawn himself. VHS 1022
Moor's pavane. 1965. 1 videocassette
(22 min.). The basic story of the Moor, Othello,
presented in dance form through many variations,
shows the destructive power of jealousy. The choreography
features the Renaissance style of dance to coordinate
with the story, music and costumes. VHS 2536
Opening doors dancing with disabilities.
1996. 1 videocassette (34 min.). This video tells
the story of Buen Viaje Dancers, a performing dance
troupe composed of dancers with disabilities. Artistic
directors Billbob Brown and Joanie Carlisle describe
their vision and demonstrate with excerpts from
rehearsals and a performance of "Opening Doors.".
VHS 4512,4513
The Paul Taylor dance company.
Nonesuch dance collection: Dance in America.
1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 58 min.). Presentation
of the dances Runes and Esplanade as performed by
the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Paul Taylor briefly
talks about his dance group and what he looks for
in his dancers. VHS 6348
Paul Taylor's Speaking in tongues.
Elektra Nonesuch Dance Collection. 1991.
1 videocassette (54 min.). VHS 2287
Pilobolus Dance Theatre. Nonesuch
dance collection: Dance in America. 1998. 1
videocassette (58 min.). Documentary on the formation
of Pilobolus and performances by the company. VHS
6349
The pleasures of the dance. Jarvis
Conservatory master series. 1998. 1 videocassette
(29 min.). World premiere of a dance/theater work
set in 18th-century Paris, depicting Madame Montaigue
as she writes to her sister about a gathering in
a salon, a lesson with a dancing master, Italian
actors at a fair, and a benefit for dancers at the
Opéra. VHS 5150
Positive motion. 1991. 1 videocassette
(37 min.). Documents the work of the HIV/AIDS dance
group in San Francisco, led by pioneering dancer,
Anna Halprin. The video spans the first seven months
of the group's emotionally-charged workshops, culminating
in the performance of a work titled "Carry
me home." It is about creativity and community
as healing -- showing how dance can change the dancer,
whose body becomes a storyteller conveying a new-found
expression of health. VHS 4717
The Power of dance. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Examines the work
of ballet legend Jacques D'Amboise at his N.Y. National
Dance Institute where children from diverse backgrounds
find joy and discipline in dancing together. Includes
interviews with Russian dancer Irek Mukhamedov,
Indian gurus, American song-and-dance men, including
Broadway star Gregg Burge and other dancers who
describe their love for dancing. VHS 2291
Retracing steps American dance since
postmodernism. 1988. 1 videocassette (88 min.).
Explores avant-garde dance in the 1980's through
interviews with young choreographers and dance excerpts.
VHS 470
Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"
. 1981. 1 videocassette (43 min.). Drawing from
episodes in Schumann's own life, Balanchine creates
a masterful work in which four couples perform a
variety of impressionistic dances. Schumann originally
wrote the work to present his philosophy in a musical
dispute. VHS 484
Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"
. The Balanchine library: Nonesuch dance
collection. 1995? 1 videocassette (43 min.).
Drawing from episodes in Schumann's own life, Balanchine
creates a masterful work in which four couples perform
a variety of impressionistic dances. Schumann originally
wrote the work to present his philosophy in a musical
dispute. VHS 2775
Seraphic dialog. 1978. 1 videocassette
(27 min.). Presents Martha Graham and her company
in a dance interpretation of Joan of Arc. Features
Martha Graham as Joan of Arc at the moment of her
exaltation when she looks back at phases of her
legend as a maiden, warrior, and martyr. VHS 1639
Set and reset, version 1. 1985.
1 videocassette (22 min.). Videocassette of a television
performance of a modern dance choreographed by Trisha
Brown. VHS 4250
Sex and social dance. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines
the male and female roles in dancing in three different
societies: USA, Morocco, and Cook Islands of Polynesia.
Includes archival film footage. VHS 2293
"Shalom" in action on and
off stage with the "Shalom" Tel-Aviv Dance
Company. 1990. 1 videocassette (53 min.). The
Shalom Dance Company seeks to preserve Israel's
myriad of cultures through costume, music and dance.
Film shows the dancers in rehearsal, backstage and
on location in some of Israel's most scenic spots
as it performs a variety of dances from traditional
to modern. VHS 6395
Tango, baile nuestro Tango, our dance.
1994. 1 videorecording (70 min.). Documents the
history and the unique role of the tango. Shows
the beauty of the dance and how it has changed over
the years. VHS 3386
Temperaments in motion. 1994-1995.
1 videocassette (ca. 61 min.). This presentation
combines still, motion, and chopped motion film
with light and color to create an artistic impression
of the dance. Godfrey silas uses geometric shapes
(lines, rectangles and circles) to create frames
for the dance pictures and movements. VHS 3500
That's dancing. 1985. 1 videocassette
(105 min.). In the great tradition of That's Entertainment
a dance-happy, star-filled musical treat that celebrates
the art of dance in all its forms. VHS 2954
To dance. 1988. 1 videocassette
(29 min.). Documentary about five young men who
pursue their dreams and degrees in the dance program
at the University of South Florida. VHS 968
Trisha Brown Company. 3 videocassettes
(133 min.). VHS 4250-4251
Two dances. 1999. 1 videocassette
(43 min.). Ritmo jondo: Uses swirling movement and
exciting leaps to portray masculine and feminine
roles in a traditional culture. Day on earth: Uses
a spare dance form to portray the human experience:
love, birth, loss, companionship, death and continuation
and the meaning and solace of work. VHS 6320
Two takes on tap choreographers Brenda
Bufalino and Lynn Dally. 1993. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Dally and Bufalino discuss their careers
in tap, sharing their histories and sources of inspiration,
their approaches to choreography and the creative
process, and their visions for the future of tap.
Includes performance footage of them and also Eddie
Brown, Honi Coles, the American Tap Dance Orchestra
and the Jazz Tap Ensemble. VHS 5162
When the fire dances between the two poles Mary Wigman, 1886-1973. 1983. 1 videocassette