Arcadia Public Library

Winner of the 1992 Bonnie Bird Chore-ography Award for North America and an ADF Young Choreographer in 1989, Ellen Bromberg created this work for the camera. Commissioned by PBS in 1989, "The Black Dress" is a haunting work based on the painting of the same name by Alex Katz. Also included is an interview with Ms. Bromberg about the making of "The Black Dress." Ms. Bromberg received The Isadora Duncan Award for choreography in 1988.

Since the early eighties, Molissa Fenley has been intriguing audiences and impressing critics with her unique approach to modern dance. Her work is constantly changing, re-defining itself with each new piece, and she is well known for her work with contemporary artists and composers including Phillip Glass. In this tape, Ms. Fenley talks about her choreography and her approach to the creative process. Also included are clips of a number of important...

This is a compilation of some of Maya Deren's most important films: The very eye of night, (1955) Ritual in transfigured time, (1946) Meditation on violence (1948) Study for choreography and camera (1945). These films address dance as "... the stylization of movement which confers ritual dimension upon functional motion ..." She has been described as an inheritor of the surrealists, however, Maya Deren was one of the earliest pioneers in the adaptation...

Talley Beatty has had an illustrious career spanning six decades. He began studying with Katherine Dunham at the age of 11 and at 16 became a principal dancer in her company. His choreography has been performed by numerous companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Mr. Beatty was the recipient of the 1993 Scripps/ADF award. Also included is "A Study in Choreography For Camera" (1945), the seminal film by Maya Deren featuring Mr. Beatty....

This documentary explores African contemporary dance through eight modern dance companies from Africa, Europe and Canada that participated in the Festival International de Nouvelle Danse in Montreal, Canada in 1999.

Presents the life and accomplishments of the choreographer who made over four hundred dance works and is considered to be the most important ballet choreographer of the twentieth century.

Bob Fosse (1927-87) is recognized as one of the most significant figures in the post-World War II American musical theater. With his first Broadway musical theater. With his first Broadway musical, The Pajama Game in 1954, the "Fosse style" was already fully developed, with the hunched shoulders, turned in stance, and stuttering, staccato jazz movements. Fosse moved decisively into the role of director with Redhead in 1959 and was a key figure in...

Meredith Monk is a composer, singer, filmmaker, and director/choreographer. This tape includes interviews and excerpts from performance. A pioneer in what is now called "extended vocal technique" and "interdisciplinary performance," Ms. Monk has created more than 80 works of music, theater, dance, and film. A recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, she has been acclaimed by audiences and critics as a major force in the performing arts. "When...

Presents the life and accomplishments of the dancer and choreographer who became known as the mother of American modern dance.

A photo-biography of the American dancer, teacher, and choreographer who was born in Pittsburgh in 1895 and who became a leading figure in the world of modern dance.