Spirit of the Fallen is a project I started back in November of 2009 and was initially inspired by a memorial installation at the Police Administration Building by Commissioner Ramsey in tandem with Comcast, paying tribute to the fallen officers. I had wanted a new philanthropic project to get involved with, something large scale to appeal to the masses and a radio spot about the Fallen Heroes memorial told me what it would be. The project seemed to have come together overnight, which to me is a sign that it was the right one!

As a dance photographer, I drew upon my own experience and work to create a series of images using dancers with angel wings to represent the spirit of the fallen officers.  I felt that by creating fine art images, using these winged athletes, it would maintain a respect towards those we pay tribute to and also transcend the dance community because I created pieces of art, not just a dance image.  The topic is something that encompasses the entire city.  These officers protect the streets for ALL of us!  So we ALL need to pay respect for their service and life.

I did not anticipate how quickly these images, this project, would not only come together, but create the buzz it did.  I have heard many stories about how people were misty-eyed after seeing some of the images.  It is very humbling to have created work that is impactful in this manner.  You can look at the images and really feel the climate and the spirit of it all.  It was an amazing journey, truly!  It has definitely become much more personal to me since its inception.  I have made new friends in the law enforcement community as well as with some of the families of the fallen.

Aside from just creating images to pay homage, I also wanted to raise money for the FOP Survivors Fund, a fund in place to help with final expenses, etc for the fallen officers and their families.  To this end, select images from the series would be produced into a 2011 calendar and sold with the proceeds going to the fund.  Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the fund.  This equates to 500 calendars at $20 each.  We will have a calendar release party on October 2^nd at Finnigan’s Wake.  I will also have them available online for sale.

As a precursor to this release, we will have a Spirit of the Fallen Gala on August 29^th at the Irish Center from 4-7pm.  There will be live music, dancers, exhibit and more!  I had wanted to do a large exhibit prior to the calendar, but wanted it to be more then just an exhibit.  I wanted to create an event to really celebrate the lives of these courageous men and women who gave their lives to keep ours safe!  Tickets are $35, advanced sales only.

Again, this topic is one that affects all of us – our children, friends, loved ones.  These men and women, put their lives on the line daily just to make sure our streets are safe for us!  They kiss their loved one goodbye as they leave for work not knowing they may not come back that night.  It is not a thought to them.  They are just going out, doing their job.  But it is a reality.  It is an occupational hazard.  All in a days work to them… Please support the project!

For more information, please visit:

www.spiritofthefallen.org

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-of-the-Fallen/201276982824

Ashley Fargnoli and Shawn Convey and spent four months in Kolkata, India filming Kolkata Sanved, a trailblazing human rights organization using a form of rehabilitation known as Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) in a daring manner. Working with marginalized children and adults, street children, mental health patients, victims of violent crimes and human trafficking in Kolkata, India, they are helping these survivors find strength and peace with this very progressive yet natural form of therapy.

Ashley Fargnoli, currently residing in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and originally from Philadelphia, is a dance activist, choreographer and instructor who has led workshops in Nepal, India, France, Bosnia, Mauritius and the US to promote peace through dance and to create choreography that fosters social change.

Shawn Convey, a photographer and filmmaker from East Aurora, New York left the commercial photography field where he worked in New York City and Chicago for 12 years to focus on his photography and filmmaking. Currently in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Shawn has traveled to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Italy, France, Switzerland, and the Balkans making films, taking photos and striving to understand complex visual subtleties.

Unlike a great majority of documentaries produced today, DMT (Dance Movement Therapy) is a rare subject where the medium of film is essential to the story. The only way to convey the sheer importance and power of the rehabilitation process is to witness it either in person or through the camera’s eye.

In an effort to complete the film, they have reached out to the dance community through Kickstarter, an online fundraising platform for artists. An all or nothing system, they only have until June 6 to raise the money, or they do not receive any pledges. Only a week into the campaign, they have already raised $2,500 out of their $11,750 goal, but they need assistance in spreading the word.

Ashley and Shawn ultimately hope the film will inspire viewers to look inward, to access their own dormant potential to right wrongs in real ways—whether in the back alleys of India or their own backyards, wherever hope has been deterred if not lost altogether.

To learn more about this project or to make a pledge in any amount, visit
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmt/dmt-feature-documentary-exploring-dance-movement-t

Be sure to view the video, simply click play button below!

The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program  announced, How Philly Moves, will place an extraordinary and vibrant new work of community-based public art on the parking decks facing Interstate 95 at the Philadelphia International Airport. The nearly 50,000 square foot mural, incorporating the photographic work of and designed by artist Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou, will be produced over the next 18 months and is scheduled to be dedicated in June 2011. The project, developed in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia Office on Transportation and Utilities, will employ 35 artists and individuals in various Mural Arts Program workforce development and re-entry initiatives.

How Philly Moves will celebrate Philadelphia and welcome guests from all over the world. This mural will give visitors a first taste of the liveliness that awaits them in the City of Brotherly Love. Across the top decks of the airport parking garages, a diverse range of luminous dancing figures will swirl, unified in a rich field of black. At 60 m.p.h., the energy of the movement will be unmistakable. The joy of dance is easy to share; it is infectious, universal, and accessible to all.

From Philadelphia’s longstanding tradition of tap dance to the traditional Aztec dance brought by more recent immigrants, the variety of the imagery will foster an appreciation for every element of our shared community through the common bond of dance and feature dancers from all over the Philadelphia region. Philadelphia International Airport is the busiest gateway to the Delaware Valley region, hosting nearly 32 million passengers per year who travel on commuter, national, and international flights. The main visual feature on the Interstate 95 approach to Philadelphia International Airport is the parking garage that stretches from Terminal A to Terminal F — nearly a half-mile-long façade of concrete deck parking in three structures. The parking garages are visible to traffic entering and exiting the airport as well as from Interstate 95.

In 2010 and 2011, the Mural Arts Program will transform a large portion of the parking garage into a memorable “gateway” for travelers and visitors to the region, adding spectacular beauty and color to the airport’s landscape and How Philly Moves Airport Gateway Project enlivening the travel experience of millions. The How Philly Moves project builds on Philadelphia’s longstanding commitment to the production of public art and will culminate in the creation of a dynamic and iconic new ‘postcard’ image for the city.

This project, in collaboration with Deputy Mayor for Transportation Rina Cutler, is part of a new initiative by the Mural Arts Program to create stunning and exciting gateways into the city. “I was stuck in traffic on I-95 near the airport one day and took a look at the parking garages. It occurred to me that this was a perfect canvas for a gateway to the City project, so I called Jane Golden to discuss a collaboration. I am excited to participate in a great public art project that welcomes people to the City of Philadelphia and captures the spirit of Philadelphians in a bold way.”

“The How Philly Moves is a project that combines many areas of great importance to this administration, including workforce development, the creative economy, access to the arts, and tourism,” said Michael A. Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia. “For millions of national and international visitors to Philadelphia this mural will provide a spectacular first impression of our city.”

In the preliminary phase of production on the project, JJ Tiziou brought together over seventy dancers and a large team of volunteers to produce an initial series of photographs that served to inform his proposed design concept for How Philly Moves. On March 5-7, 2010, an additional 60 dancers will be photographed by JJ Tiziou at the Painted Bride Art Center and a selection of these images will be incorporated into the final design of How Philly Moves. Both professional dancers and those who simply like to dance are invited to submit an application to be photographed. The 60 dancers selected will be notified in advance of this three-day event. Information on applying can be found at www.muralarts.org or www.HowPhillyMoves.org.

Lead artist JJ Tiziou stated, “Because every viewer can see his or herself somewhere among these dancers, this installation will go beyond just providing a beautiful piece of art to the viewers. Rather it will awaken viewers to the art in the movement around them and provide an inspiration to go out and create more.” JJ Tiziou is a photographer specializing in portraiture and movement documentation; he has never encountered an unphotogenic person in his life. His images are used both in corporate and editorial contexts as well as arts and How Philly Moves Airport Gateway Project activism.

Based in West Philly, JJ uses his work to celebrate the beautiful people around him who are working to make the world a better place. Born in Washington, DC, to French parents, he has called Philadelphia home since 1997. Samples of his work can be found at http://www.jjtiziou.net

Jane Golden, Executive Director of the Mural Arts Program said, “The How Philly Moves project is a nexus of Mural Arts Program initiatives to transform public space, impact individual lives, stimulate economic development, and generate tourism. Having created more than 3,000 works of public art to date, we have a new interest in creating gateways into the city and providing welcoming points at all entrances to Philadelphia. This project helps build Philadelphia’s international presence and gives us a fantastic opportunity to greet the world with our most creative foot forward.”

Other aspects of the How Philly Moves project include a documentary produced by The Big Picture Alliance, and a permanent exhibition inside the airport’s public space which will provide the context of the project as a whole. Everyone who participates in the photo sessions will be in the permanent exhibition, if not in the full exterior mural. How Philly Moves is funded by the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Philadelphia International Airport, Bank of America, and US Airways.

Philadelphia Dance – A Photo Year In Review 2009
by Bill Hebert

A collection of images and highlights from some truly notable performances in 2009.

Click Here to begin viewing album. Then click on large displayed image to view all the photos in sequence and in correct proportions.

Special thanks from the Dance Journal to Bill for capturing these moments and allowing us to share them!

William Hebert
BH Photos
267-240-5331
whebert228@aol.com
http://bhphotos.net
http://www.myspace.com/billhebert_bhphotos

Photo:

Capturing the ephemeral beauty of the dancers, documentarian Frederick Wiseman’s new critically-acclaimed film chronicles one of the world’s finest ballet companies as they rehearse and perform seven ballets: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Le Songe de Medée by Angelin Preljocaj, La Maison de Bernarda by Mats Ek, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, Casse Noisette by Rudolph Noureev, Orphée and Eurydice by Pina Bausch, and Romeo and Juliette by Sasha Waltz. Taking viewers behind the scenes, the film shows the work involved in administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, and costume, set, and lighting designers. True to Wiseman’s trademark style, developed over more than forty years of filmmaking, no added music, interviews, or name cards interrupt the audience’s immersion in the world of dance, creating an inimitable portrait of a dance institution. The 159-minute film is in English and French with English subtitles.

Admission to Bryn Mawr Film Institute is $9.50 for adults, $6.75 for seniors and students, and $5.00 for BMFI members. Matinees before 3pm are $6.75. For showtimes, visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org.

Photo: la danse 1 (c) bernd uhlig

About Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Bryn Mawr Film Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to restoring the historic Bryn Mawr Theater and transforming it into the region’s preeminent film entertainment and education center.  Founded in 2002 by Main Line academic, business, and civic leaders, Bryn Mawr Film Institute presents a daily program of first-run and repertory art and independent films and provides a comprehensive film studies curriculum, including courses, workshops, discussions, guest lecturers, visual literacy programs, and student screening opportunities.  To learn about upcoming events or find news about the theater’s restoration project, visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org, or write to Info@BrynMawrFilm.org.

Dance with Camera is an exhibition and a screening program that explores a crossover between artists and dancers who make choreography for the camera. The exhibition features art works in film, video, and still photography that exemplify the ways dance has compelled visual artists to record bodies moving in time and space. Screenings elaborate the show’s theme with iconic dance films, ranging from Busby Berkeley’s Hollywood musicals to Maya Deren’s avant-garde films. Dance with Camera, on view September 11, 2009-March 21, 2010, in ICA’s first floor gallery, spans seventy years of art and film, and features over thirty artists and filmmakers between its exhibition and screening program.

The art works in Dance with Camera show the camera lens as not merely a recording device, but stage and audience simultaneously. The camera creates a unique space for dance. In some instances, choreography is created for the specific space of the camera; in others it is created in editing. The camera, unlike the stage, allows close-ups that bring us near the performer. Editing is used to compress time and create structure, and even to transform relatively static performers into dancers. Still photography freezes time while also expanding the notion of dance as time-based. Dance itself is a mode to explore broader themes of narrative, structure, metaphor and abstraction.

Dance with Camera begins in the 1960s with seminal works by Bruce Conner and Bruce Nauman. Conner’s prototypical BREAKAWAY (1966) prefigured music videos, and threads through the recent work of robbinschilds. Early video artists of the 1970s took up dance as a subject, seen in works such as Eleanor Antin’s narrative ballet-themed works, and Charles Atlas’ first works with Merce Cunningham. The camera’s role as documentarian characterizes contemporary works by Mike Kelley, Kelly Nipper, Tacita Dean, and Elad Lassry, among others. Works by Oliver Herring and Flora Wiegmann use dynamic camera views and kinetic editing to make vibrant videos of dancers, and nondancers. The drama intrinsic to stylized, physical movement is captured by Luis Jacob, Joachim Koester and Uri Tzaig.

In the galleries

Eleanor Antin, Charles Atlas, Ann Carlson and Mary Ellen Strom, Bruce Conner, Tacita Dean, Oliver Herring, Luis Jacob, Mike Kelley, Joachim Koester, Elad Lassry, Bruce Nauman, Kelly Nipper, robbinschilds + A.L. Steiner, Uri Tzaig, Flora Wiegmann, and Christopher Williams.

Screenings at International House

(October 14, November 18, December 9, January 13, February 17 and March 17) Charles Atlas, Natalie Bookchin, Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner, Thierry de Mey, Maya Deren, Ed Emshwiller, William Forsythe, Hillary Harris, Hy Hirsh and Sidney Peterson, Babette Mangolte, Sharon Lockhart, Norman McLaren,
Sidney Peterson, Yvonne Rainer, and many more (list in formation). Films include: Dames (Busby Berkeley), All That Jazz (Bob Fosse), Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly), Top Hat (Mark Sandrich), The Red Shoes (Michael Powell), and Blood Wedding (Carlos Saura).

A special March film program will be curated by Philadelphia Dance Projects.

Dance with Camera is curated by Curator Jenelle Porter, and is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue.

Related Public Programs

Lecture: Under the Influence of Busby Berkeley
Whenever Wednesday, October 14, 6:30pm
Choreographer and filmmaker Kriota Willberg lectures on the enduring influence of 1930s and 1940s director/choreographer Busby Berkeley. His crazy camera moves, sex, elaborate staging, geometry and stream-ofconsciousness editing style continues to impact cinematography━and to sell products from food to cigarettes. Willberg traces Berekely’s signature choreographic and film style by tracing a “typical” Berkeley phantasmagoric film transition: the “I Only Have Eyes For You” sequence from the film, Dames (1934).

Kinetic Cinema
Whenever Wednesday, October 21, 6:30 pm
Kinetic Cinema is a New York-based screening series that explores the intersection of dance and the moving image. Each month organizer Anna Brady Nuse invites a special guest from the dance and film communities to share the films and videos that have inspired and influenced their own work. The series kicks off with a night of dance on film curated by nenowned choreographer and filmmaker Victoria Marks. Look for the second evening of Kinetic Cinema in early 2010. In addition to being seen in Philadelphia, these screenings will also be presented at Chez Bushwick in New York.

Lecture: ICA Curator Jenelle Porter On Dance with Camera
Whenever Wednesday, December 2, 6:30PM

Images, top to bottom: Kelly Nipper, interval, 2000, four framed chromogenic process color prints, each 39 3/4 x 50 5/8 inches. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago…Joachim Koester, Tarantism (still), 2007, 16 mm film installation 6:31 minutes. Courtesy Greene Naftali, New York…Sharon Lockhart, Goshogaoka, 1998, 16mm film, sound, 63 minutes. Courtesy of Blum & Poe, Los Angeles.

Dance with Camera
Now through March 21, 2010
Institute of Contemporary Art | University of Pennsylvania
118 S. 36th St. Philadelphia, PA 19104-3289
T 215.898.7108

http://www.icaphila.org

Photos & Montage by JJ Tiziou

William Hebert / BH Photos
267-240-5331 or whebert228@aol.com
http://bhphotos.net
http://www.myspace.com/billhebert_bhphotos

nEW Festival: DanceHouse
Sunday, June 7, 2009 with Shows at 3pm & 7pm
UArts Dance Theater at the Drake, 1512 Spruce Street, Phila
Upcoming nEW Artists: Sarah Gladwin Camp, Jen McGinn, Dina-Verley Sabb-Mills, Nora Gibson, Guillermo Ortega Tanus,  and Abigail Zbikowski.  Information & Tickets: http://www.newfestival.net