World Premiere Screening of ANOTHER TELEPATHIC THING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2015

Dance Films Association (DFA) and Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) Co-present

 
The World Premiere Screening of

ANOTHER TELEPATHIC THING

Academy Award-winning Filmmaker Jonathan Demme’s Live Performance Film of Big Dance Theater’s Production by Co-Directors Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson

Monday, June 8, 2015 at 7PM

New York, NY – Dance Films Association (DFA) and Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) co-present Another Telepathic Thing, a live performance film by Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme, featuring Big Dance Theater‘s award-winning production of the same name, directed by Paul Lazar and co-directed and choreographed by Annie-B Parson. The film’s World Premiere screening at Baryshnikov Arts Center’s Jerome Robbins Theater on Monday, June 8 at 7PM is followed by a post-show discussion with Jonathan Demme and Annie-B Parson. Inspired by Mark Twain’s morality tale “The Mysterious Stranger,” Another Telepathic Thing is a prismatic and complex dance-theater parable. At once cynical and spiritual, the work centers on a charismatic stranger whose visit shatters the peace of a mythic hamlet. The medieval setting is echoed by a contemporary Hollywood reality, with a script that braids Twain’s sublime writing with “found” text from years of auditions. It culminates in a subtle and startling exploration of the fragility of our human condition. Big Dance Theater’s performance of Another Telepathic Thing was originally filmed by Mr. Demme in February 2000 at Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts) in New York City. The film was completed in 2015 with funding from DFA’s Production Initiative. It features performers Tymberly Canale, Stacy Dawson, Molly Hickok, Cynthia Hopkins, Paul Lazar, and David Neumann, with text supervision by Scott Renderer, music by Cynthia Hopkins, set by Joanne Howard, lights by Jay Ryan, and sound by Jane Shaw. Program and Ticket Information Another Telepathic Thing (2001) A Film by Jonathan Demme of Big Dance Theater’s Production: Another Telepathic Thing By Co-directors by Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson June 8, Monday at 7PM Baryshnikov Arts Center, Jerome Robbins Theater (450 W. 37th Street) Tickets: $10, can be purchased online or by phone: BACNYC.ORG or 866-811-4111 The screening is preceded by a reception at 6:30PM, and is followed by a discussion with Jonathan Demme and Annie-B Parson. The film run time is 65 minutes. Biographies Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director, Demme has also directed the acclaimed films PhiladelphiaRachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense, and a trilogy of Neil Young documentary/concert movies. His recent film A Master Builder opened in New York during June 2014 and was based on the 19th century play by Henrik Ibsen. Founded in 1991, Big Dance Theater is known for its inspired use of dance, music, text and visual design. The company often works with wildly incongruent source material, weaving and braiding disparate strands into multi-dimensional performance. Led for over 20 years by Co-Artistic Directors Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, Big Dance Theater has worked to create over 20 dance/theater works, generating each piece over months of collaboration with its associate artists, a long-standing, ever-evolving group of actors, dancers, composers and designers. Big Dance Theater received New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards in 2002 and 2010; the company was awarded an OBIE in 2000 and company members have received 5 other “Bessie” Awards and an OBIE award for their work with Big Dance. Big Dance Theater has been presented around the world including France, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Brazil and Germany, and at US venues including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Dance Theater Workshop, The Kitchen, City Center Fall for Dance, The Performing Garage, New York Live Arts, The Chocolate Factory, Classic Stage Company, Japan Society, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Walker Art Center, Yerba Buena, On the Boards, UCLA Live, and The Spoleto Festival. Dance Films Association (DFA) is dedicated to furthering the art of dance film. Connecting artists and organizations, fostering new works for new audiences, and sharing essential resources, DFA seeks to be a catalyst for innovation in and preservation of dance on camera. Currently, DFA is actively seeking to broaden its audience via new media initiatives and membership drives, to support cutting edge approaches to dance documentation, and to expand partnerships with schools, arts partners, media sites, and other institutions. Alongside the annual Dance on Camera Festival inaugurated in 1971 and co-presented with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, DFA’s year-round programming includes the educational series Dance Film Lab, the high school student film competition Capturing Motion NYC, and the screening series Dance Films Presents. DFA’s Production Initiative provides opportunities for choreographers to collaborate on high quality film projects, with support from a Rockefeller Foundation Innovation Fund Grant. Through this funding opportunity, in addition to Another Telepathic Thing, DFA has also supported Third Rail Projects in the creation of a film documenting their creative process. In addition, DFA awards an annual production grant to dance filmmakers to support innovative new work in the field of dance film. www.dancefilms.org Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) is the realization of a long-held vision by artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov to build an arts center in Manhattan that would serve as a gathering place for artists from all disciplines. BAC’s opening in 2005 heralded the launch of this mission, establishing a thriving creative laboratory and performance space for artists from around the world. BAC’s activities encompass a robust residency program augmented by a range of professional services, including commissions of new work, as well as the presentation of performances by artists at varying stages of their careers. In tandem with its commitment to supporting artists, BAC is dedicated to building audiences for the arts by presenting contemporary, innovative work at affordable ticket prices. www.bacnyc.org Press Contacts Dance Films Association: Brighid Greene / brighid@dancefilms.org / (347) 505-8649 Baryshnikov Arts Center: Kristen Miles / kmiles@bacnyc.org / (646) 731-3221  

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