About Us
Dance Camera West Dance Film Festival - Los Angeles
Dance Camera West is a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing quality dance film from around the world to Los Angeles. The Dance Camera West Dance Film Festival takes place annually in June and is a city-wide event across Los Angeles. Venues for the festival range from The Getty Center, REDCAT at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hammer Museum, Skirball Center, and Track 16 at Bergamot Station, to movie theaters like American Cinematheque’s Egyptian and Aero and the Laemmle Theaters, to outdoor locations like TreePeople in Coldwater Canyon Park.
DCW also presents special screenings and events throughout the year in special partnerships with UCLA Live, Grand Performances, Los Angeles Film Festival, Silver Lake Film Festival, and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
For festival screening times, locations, tickets, and more information on this year’s film festival, click here.
Dance and Cinema - Dance Camera West
DCW represents a truly unique cinematic experience. Contemporary Dance for Screen, Documentaries, Dance Installations, Dance Technology Symposia, Panel Discussions and Workshops are all part of an expanding Dance Film Festival structure.
The Dance Camera West Dance Film Festival showcases many forms of dance including modern dance, post modern dance, world dance, tap dance, dance theater, and practically all dance that has been captured on film in a way that is electrifying and essential.
DCW’s dance film festival presents a range of contemporary, classic and alternative dance films, and showcases the talents of internationally recognized artists like Lloyd Newson/DV8, Thierry de Mey, Anne de Keersmaeker, Merce Cunningham, Paris Opera Ballet, Pilobolus, Maya Deren, Bill T. Jones, and Edouard Lock/La La La Human Steps, as well as featuring local artists like Victoria Marks, Oguri, and Hassan Christopher.
The genre of Dance on Screen/Dance for Camera has expanded the possibilities of composition and structure by literally pushing the boundaries of dance - motion, rhythm, form and gravity - beyond what is presentable on stage.
Always interested in seeing everything that the world has to offer, DCW accepts submissions throughout the year for its festival and year round programming.
For submission form and instructions click here.
Lynette Kessler, Executive/Artistic Director
In founding Dance Camera West in 2001, Lynette Kessler launched a film festival that has become a vital part of LA’s evolving cultural landscape. An accomplished dancer, choreographer, and media artist with a MFA in dance from the University of Michigan and a BFA in dance from York University in Toronto, her innovative collaborations and dances for the screen have been shown in film and video festivals worldwide. “In showcasing a new medium that combines dance aesthetics with advanced cinematic technologies, each festival has made a strong statement on the current aesthetics of this evolving art form, presenting an overview of contemporary offerings of some of the most exotic experiments involving dance and the camera.”
Dance Camera West Bridges Communities
Dance Camera West has helped to make the Art of Dance more accessible to audiences throughout Los Angeles, bringing the Dance and Film communities closer together by bridging the gap between Hollywood Film, Contemporary Dance, Art Film and Dance Art.
As a non-verbal Art-form, Dance breaks down the language barriers of the many diverse Los Angeles communities and offers people a chance to see work from around the world. Dance film brings the often underexposed form of dance to audiences in the familiar language of film.
Dance Camera West’s Dance Film Festival offers the Dance Community a vibrant and supportive platform for the expression and evolution of film-making, exhibition and interaction for their collective vision.
Programs that take place at the City’s leading cultural institutions as well as in parks and alternative spaces let patrons experience dance in a way that transcends economic, cultural and language barriers.
Click here for our COMMUNITY PARTNERS page.
Dance Camera West New Directions
Constantly growing in audience, prestige, and impact, Dance Camera West has presented over 1000 international dance films since its inception in 2002 and continues to be a leading voice for this innovative new genre of Dance Art Film.
DCW has grown beyond an annual film festival with its distribution of dance films and educational components including workshops, panel discussions and contributions to relevant publications. DCW continues with its goal to be a catalyst for the making of new dance and film works locally and internationally, and is committed to supporting artists.
Future plans for DCW include hosting a center for research and development through an archive of dance films and materials. Future programming is expected to include a symposium in Dance Technology, workshops in production, and panel discussions of critical discourse on the subject of dance made for the screen as well as interactive performance work.
As the showcase for the next generation of dance, Dance Camera West is committed to keeping ticket prices affordable (often free events) and was named one of the most "affordable dance tickets" by the LA Times in 2004. Grover Dale of Answers for Dancers calls DCW "the best thing to happen to Los Angeles dance in 20 years."
Dance Magazine voted DCW one of the “Top 20 to Watch” in January 2005 & 2006.
The Los Angeles Times gave DCW Best of LA TWICE selecting it as one of the ten best dance events in Los Angeles for 2006 and 2007.
For screening times and locations or to purchase tickets for this year’s film festival click here.
DCW Dance Film Festival Acknowledges its Supporters
Dance Camera West is appreciative of the funding that it receives from Annenberg Foundation, Mortimer Levitt Foundation, Lloyd E. Rigler and Laurence E. Deutsch Foundation, National Endowment of the Arts, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and Los County Arts Commission.
Individuals are the core of DCW; become a member and be part of Dance Camera West. To contribute your support please visit our Contribute page.
Corporate sponsorship is available for the month long festival and year round events. To learn how your company may become a sponsor please phone 213-480-8633 or contact Lynette Kessler at Lkessler@dancecamerawest.org.
DCW thrives on community and we welcome your support in all forms. If you would like to join us as a volunteer please contact us. Please see Community Partners page for a full list of our supporters.
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