EMPAC DANCE MOVIES COMMSSION 2010-2011: OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS: deadline APRIL 15thTroy, NY – In April, while artists propose new works to be made for this round of the DANCE MOViES Commission, the five projects currently in progress will be finishing up post-production for a premiere at EMPAC in the fall. Projects from past years continue to tour to festivals and film venues around the world. EMPAC (the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) is now accepting proposals for its 2010-2011 DANCE MOViES Commissions. The deadline for the proposals is April 15, 2010. This year, selected artists will receive awards ranging up to $30,000. In addition to the funding, artists can also apply to create their works in conjunction with the Artist-in-Residence program at EMPAC. Works commissioned may take advantage of EMPAC’s spaces and technology, using infrastructure such as computer-controlled rigging or large-scale immersive studio environments. As the first major US-based commissioning program available to dance-film artists in the Americas, the DANCE MOViES Commission represents an important opportunity for those working at the intersection of the moving body and the moving image. The commission has funded thirteen projects in the last four years, with four of them also winning residencies at EMPAC. Commissioned works range from a finger puppet musical to a poetic film based on the autobiographical account of a US-based African choreographer returning to dance in Zimbabwe; a piece in which a contemporary Russian dancer is viewed in the aesthetic context of post-Soviet surveillance to a film were three street kids in the streets of Rio seem to juggle air; and an installation created through 3D laser scanning to another installation where multiple video screens installed side by side layer film samples and a dancer’s gestures to create counterpoints of movement and image. More information on these works and other DANCE MOViES Commission recipients can be found on the EMPAC website. There are up to 150 submissions per year, with four to five winning proposals. Artists selected can be from North or South America: a majority of recipients have been from the US, some working in international teams, with other winners also coming from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Canada. Backed by the Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and Performing Arts, the DANCE MOViES Commission supports works for the screen including film, video, installation and other audio-visual formats. The works may be narrative in nature or abstract; they may range in length (up to 20 minutes); they certainly vary in style, technique and expressive intent. The DANCE MOViES Commissions encompass a wide range of projects. They may take advantage of a variety of tools, such as computer processing, motion capture, simulation, animation, image processing and post-production technologies. Some may not portray “dance,” per se, at all. All will, however, reflect or refer to the power of movement unfurling in time. DANCE MOViES Commission application The EMPAC DANCE MOViES Commission is a competitive open proposal process, in which eligible artists or groups from North or South America submit a project proposal. The initial proposals are reviewed and a small number of artists are invited to submit a detailed proposal to an international panel. The panel assesses the quality and feasibility of the proposed project and submits its recommendations to EMPAC. The commissions are awarded by EMPAC after review. Upon awarding of the commission, the artist or collaborative team has one year to complete the project, at which point the work is premiered at EMPAC, and shown at dance film festivals around the world. The deadline for the proposals is April 15, 2010. For more information on EMPAC and the DANCE MOViES Commission, or to download the guidelines and application form, please visit the EMPAC website. Guidelines and application available in Spanish. http://www.empac.rpi.edu About EMPAC The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) opened its doors in 2008 and was hailed by the New York Times as a “technological pleasure dome for the mind and senses… dedicated to the marriage of art and science as it has never been done before.” Founded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, EMPAC offers artists, scholars, researchers, engineers, designers, and audiences opportunities for creative exploration that are available nowhere else under a single roof. EMPAC operates nationally and internationally, attracting creative individuals from around the world and sending new artworks and innovative ideas onto the global stage. EMPAC’s building is a showcase work of architecture and a unique technological facility that boasts unrivaled presentation and production capabilities for art and science spanning the physical and virtual worlds and the spaces in between. About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation’s oldest technological university. The school offers degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the social sciences and humanities. For over thirty years, the Institute has been a leader in interdisciplinary creative research, especially in the electronic arts. In addition to its MFA and Ph.D. programs in Electronic Arts, Rensselaer offers Bachelor degrees in Electronic Arts, and in Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication – one of the first undergraduate programs of its kind in the United States. The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and EMPAC are two major research platforms that Rensselaer has established at the beginning of the 21st century.
general inquiries: 518.276.3921 / dancemovies@rpi.edu
