Live Arts Dance Film Series Announced

In conjunction with the showing of Dance at this year’s festival, and in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Art and International House Philly, Live Arts has organized a film series to showcase the work of Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass. The films provide insight into their creative processes, their careers, and their lives. Taken together, the films provide a rich context for a contemporary viewing of Dance: as we learn about the circumstances of its creation, we better understand its continued relevance in a changed and changing artist world.

All film screenings are free and open to the public, we just ask that you RSVP to [email protected].

Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007)
July 11th, 2:00 PM at the Institute of Contemporary Art
118 South 36th Street, Philadelphia (map)

Directed by Scott Hicks
Introduction by a special guest to be announced
Run time: 120 m

Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts is the result of eighteen months of interaction between director Scott Hicks and composer Philip Glass. Hicks shot his own footage of his meetings with Glass, which took place whenever and wherever their different work brought them together. Hicks filters fragments of Glass’s life through a 12-part structure borrowed from Glass’s own “Music in Twelve Parts”, and the result is a reverent yet unclouded portrait of a brilliant composer and an inscrutable man.

Lucinda Childs (2006)
August 19th, 7:00 PM at International House
3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia (map)
Directed by Patrick Bensard
Introduction by Jenelle Porter, Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art
Run time: 60 m

“Lucinda Childs” is the first filmed portrait of one of the major choreographers of our time. Childs began her career as a member of the Judson Church Group in New York in the 1960s, and her choreography reflects perfectly the strident modernism of that time. In 1976, Childs choreographed Robert Wilsons seminal “opera” Einstein on the Beach, with music by Philip Glass. This collaboration continued in 1979 with Dance, where Childs brought together Glass’s composition and video by artist Sol LeWitt. Dance is still considered one of the most beautiful pieces in modern dance, and it launched Childs to international fame. Since then, Childs has been invited to stage work all over Europe and the United States for the most prestigious dance companies. The documentary includes performances and interviews with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Philip Glass, Anna Kisselgoff, Yvonne Rainer, Susan Sontag, and Robert Wilson.

Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Image of Opera (1985)
August 24th, 7:00 pm at the Live Arts Studio
919 N 5th St, Philadelphia (map)
Directed by Mark Obenhaus
Introduction by a special guest to be announced
Run time: 60 m

Einstein on the Beach was first staged in 1976 at the Avignon Festival in France. Scored and written by Philip Glass, directed and designed by Robert Wilson, and with choreography and libretto contributions by Lucinda Childs, this five-hour opera forever altered the perception and definition of contemporary opera. In 1984, it was restaged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Obenhaus followed the production from rehearsals through performance. In addition to footage of the performance, the documentary includes behind-the-scenes footage, notes on the creative process and interviews with the creators.

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