An all-day event, the Local Dance History Project Forum will feature a dance class led by project artists, two panel discussions exploring Philadelphia’s contemporary dance scene in the late 1970s and early 80s, and a presentation of archival video clips, photos, flyers, and more. The panels, moderated by Lisa Kraus, will feature project artists Dan Martin and Michael Biello, Jano Cohen, PDP’s Terry Fox, and Ishmael Houston-Jones, alongside Jeff Cain, musician, playwright and performance artist and co-founder of Old City Arts; Gerry Givnish, visual artist and co-founder of the Painted Bride Art Center; Wendy Hammarstrom, who appeared with the project artists in Dance & Dancers; and Bruce Schimmel, journalist, founder of Philadelphia City Paper, and editor of Dance Dialog, a journal of critical writing circa 1980.
SCHEDULE: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact Philadelphia Dance Projects at (215) 546-2552.
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Open Class
Experience a dance and movement
class led by the Local Dance History Project artists. This class is open to
everyone, experienced or not, adept or not.
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Discussion: Expanding
the definition of dance and performance in Philly circa 1980
How were the artists featured in Dance & Dancers – a sold-out
presentation at the Harold Prince Theater at the Annenberg Center for
Performing Arts in 1980 – exemplary of
countering the prevailing styles of modern dance in Philadelphia at that time?
How did they weave their socio-political points of view into their artistic
work?
Panelists | Michael Biello,
Jano Cohen, Terry Fox, Wendy Hammarstrom, Ishmael Houston-Jones and Dan Martin;
Moderated by Lisa Kraus.
3:30
p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Break/Refreshments
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. | Discussion: The
rise of the “independent” performing artist, collaborations and “pick-up
companies” along with “alternative” venues and press
Time travel to 1975-1983 with those who were there. Explore the creative
environment in Philadelphia when there were no local dance presenters with
“real” theaters, nor funding for individual performing artists. Real
estate was cheap but what were the other factors that made it possible to be
inspired, make art and get it to the public?
Panelists | Michael Biello, Jeff Cain,
Jano Cohen, Terry Fox, Wendy Hammarstrom, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Gerry
Givnish, Dan Martin, Bruce Schimmel; Moderated by Lisa Kraus.
The
Local Dance History Project is made possible by a grant from the Pew Center for
Arts & Heritage through Dance Advance, with additional support from the PA
Humanities Council’s “Our Stories, Our Future” initiative and the
Dolfinger McMahon Foundation.
