Dance with Camera

by Jenelle Porter (Contributor), Edwin Denby (Contributor), Shirley Clarke (Contributor)

Against the backdrop of the histories of cinema, postmodern dance and performance art, Dance with Camera focuses on the myriad ways visual artists use dance to explore broader themes. Spanning six decades, works by 35 artists and filmmakers propose a rich history of pairing dance and the camera. In video dances made by Merce Cunningham and Charles Atlas choreography is designed for the camera's frame. The camera allows close-ups that bring us in proximity to the dance as in works by artists such as Tacita Dean, Maya Deren and Joachim Koester. Photographic series by Kelly Nipper, Christopher Williams and Elad Lassry freeze time while expanding the notion of dance as a time-based medium. Editing techniques conjure dances impossible in real time in works by Eleanor Antin, Oliver Herring and Bruce Conner.

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2010