Trent D. Williams, Jr. in 'Black Stains'

Dance Films Association Announces the Recipients of the 2015 Production Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, NY (December 22, 2015) Dance Films Association, Inc. (DFA) announces the recipients of the 2015 Production Grant. DFA strives to support dance film by providing filmmakers with key resources and opportunities to realize their projects at any stage in production, from conception to distribution. Historically, a $2,500 grant is awarded to a filmmaker each year to help close the gap between their dance film project and the resources they need to complete it. This year’s recipient of the full $2,500 award is Black Stains, co-produced by director Tiffany Rhynard and choreographer Trent D. Williams, Jr. In response to an 100% increase in applications in 2014, two $500 honorary awards are also granted, this year to Lilt by Josiah Cuneo and United Skates by Tina Brown and Dyana Winkler. For the first time this year, one film was also selected for a Works-In-Progress screening at the Dance on Camera Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center to generate visibility for a dance film in the making and bring process-driven events to the festival. The first recipient of this Works-In-Progress award is The Other Side of Stillness by Alexx Shilling. Recipient of the full $2,500 award Black Stains Directed, filmed and edited by Tiffany Rhynard Choreography by Trent D. Williams, Jr. 20 minutes, 2016, USA Stage: Production Black Stains, “part dance film, part documentary, is a poignant and sobering meditation on what it means to be a black man in today’s society,” and is “inspired by the personal experiences of collaborator Trent D. Williams, Jr., an African-American male choreographer and educator whose choreography is the driving force behind the film.” This ‘docu-dance’ artfully interweaves dance sequences performed by an all-male ensemble and interviews with these men, which “reveal the vulnerability and consequences of a racialized world.” The Production Grant award will go towards travel expenses, enabling director Tiffany Rhynard and choreographer Williams, Jr. to continue shooting sequences; towards staff and crew fees, allowing for more efficient shoots; and specialized post-production services, to ensure that Black Stains is polished and ready for film festivals. Recipient of a $500 honorary award Lilt Written, directed, and choreographed by Josiah Cuneo 12 minutes, 2016, USA Stage: Production Lilt is a short film driven by the music and choreography of writer/director Josiah Cuneo. The film explores storytelling through daydreams and movement to focus on the elusive nature of memory. The Production Grant award will help Cuneo with the recording, mixing, and mastering of new music played by string trio Dissemble, along with editing and color grading of the film. Recipient of a $500 honorary award United Skates Directed and produced by Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown 120 minutes, 2017, USA Stage: Production United Skates brings to light the subculture of dance skating and the dire cost of rinks closing across the nation. The film “follows an underground subculture growing inside our country’s last standing roller rinks while shining a fresh light on the recurring patterns of racial struggle in the US today. Through the eyes of an unassuming leader, Reggie and his family fight to save a movement still undiscovered by the American mainstream before it disappears for good.” The Production Grant award will help Brown and Winkler capture even more footage of their subjects’ skillful styles and techniques on the roller rinks. Recipient of the Works-in-Progress award The Other Side of Stillness Concept, direction, and editing by Alexx Schilling / alexx makes dances Director of photography: Taso Papadakis Original sound: Jesse Neuman 24:15 minutes or infintie loop, 2016, USA Stage: Post-production The Other Side of Stillness is a “post-modern relay ritual, a never-ending duet for five or more dancers exploring endurance, replacement and commitment amidst the ancient / future landscape of Wonder Valley, CA. This dual-channel installation combines rigorous practice with stark portraits of the performers entering or exiting their performance state. In vivid worksuits and Power Accessories, The Modern Dancers of America dance on, bathed in Jesse Neuman’s dynamic digital and acoustic soundscapes.” The panel selected The Other Side of Stillness (directed and choreographed by Alexx Shilling) from this year’s pool of grant applicants to the Works-In-Progress screening at Dance on Camera Festival, on Saturday February 13 at 5:00pm at the Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center. Award-winning multimedia director, choreographer, and filmmaker Yara Travieso will moderate the discussion after the screening. We invite you to attend this free Dance on Camera Festival event. ABOUT 2015 Production Grant Panelists Sylvie Vitaglione is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Cinema Studies at New York University, where she is currently working on a dissertation that investigates location shooting and site-specific practices in contemporary Screendance. Her next project explores the use of video as a tool for training the body in movement and fitness practices. Her chapter “Surface Tension: Experimental Dance Films and the Undoing of Urban Space” is forthcoming in April 2016 in Imaging the City: Art, Creative Practices and Media Speculations, edited by Steve Hawley and published by Intellect Books. She has been an adjunct professor at New York University, The New School, Queens College and the College of Staten Island. She teaches classes on Choreography and the Moving Image, the History and Aesthetics of Music Videos and Documentaries and the Visual Arts. She has programmed screenings, panel discussions and workshops on the Tiny House movement, definitions of experimental film, and dance and documentary form for New York University, Gibney Dance Center and Dance Films Association. She trained in ballet and contemporary dance in Monaco, San Francisco, London and New York, and is a certified yoga instructor. Jules Rosskam is an award-winning filmmaker, educator and interdisciplinary artist, whose practice investigates the means by which we construct individual and collective histories and identities. His films have shown internationally and stateside, including the Queens Museum of Art, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, the British Film Institute, and Arsenal Berlin. His films have also broadcast on PBS and CBC. In June 2015, Jules mounted a solo exhibition of film and photography works at Action Field Kodra in Greece, in tandem with the Thessaloniki Biennale. With the support of The Center for Independent Documentary and the LEF Foundation’s Moving Image Fund, Jules is completing his fourth feature-length film, Paternal Rites, which will be released in January 2017. 2016 Works-in-Progress Moderator Yara Travieso is a NYC based director, choreographer, and performer creating films and transmedia productions. Most recently, she was awarded The Vizcaya Museum Lost Spaces Commission for 2016, the NALAC Grant through the Ford Foundation and the Surdna Foundation for 2014/15, and is currently a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Artist in Residence. While attending The Juilliard School (Dance BFA), Travieso Co-founded and ran The Borscht Film Festival from 2003- 2010. Her original films and live productions have been presented with institutions such as NYC’s Lincoln Center, BRIC Arts Media House, STREB, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, The Juilliard School, Madison Square Garden, The Streaming Museum, and Miami’s New World Symphony Center. She has directed/choreographed large scale parades such as NYC’s Marco Polo Festival, as well as productions for Cincinnati Opera, Birmingham Opera, The Beyond The Machine Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Texas State Orchestra. As a filmmaker, she has directed original shorts for brands like Hermés of Paris, Glamour Magazine, Elle, and GQ amongst others. Travieso is the recipient of an individual artist sponsorship from Kodak Films in 2010, as well as The John and James Knight Foundation in 2009, STREB GO Commissioning Program 2014, The Jerome L. Greene Fellowship 2009, San Francisco Foundation for The Arts 2013, and Miami Dade Cultural Affairs Grant 2011 amongst others. Selected project residencies include The Bessie Schonberg Foundation, BRICLab, Marymount Manhattan University, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and Imagine Science Films Festival. Travieso lectures and leads masterclasses for institutions such as The Juilliard School, Fordham University, Baryshnikov Arts Center, The New Museum, Dance Films Association, Artist As Citizen Conference, Current Sessions, The Playground NYC and The National YoungArts Organization. Production Grant Dance Films Association recognizes that funding is crucial at all stages of film production. The Production Grant is designed to help filmmakers secure resources that will help with any aspect of the process, such as paying for locations, permits, editing software, and more. The recipient of the Production Grant receives $2,500 to allocate toward services and resources under the guidance of DFA Staff in order to successfully complete their dance film project. DFA staff begins with an in-depth consultation with the filmmaker to determine their needs, and checks in periodically throughout the process to continue supporting the project, whether by coordinating screenings in NYC or spreading the word about their progress via social media. Past films supported by DFA Production Grants include Klasse, Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter, and The Promise. We’re also proud to announce that former Production Grant recipients The Birch Grove, from Gabrielle Lansner, and Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer, from Jack Walsh, will screen at the 2016 Dance on Camera Festival, on February 12 and February 16, respectively. Learn more about the Production Grant and view past recipients’ works here. DFA will be seeking the next round of applications for the Production Grant in October of 2016. Visit our website for more information. Dance Films Association Dance Films Association, Inc. (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 Dance on Camera Festival, DFA offers year round programming such as the Dance Film Lab, Dance Films Presents, and Capturing Motion NYC and additionally acts as a Fiscal Sponsor and offers a Production Grant.   CONTACT Brighid Greene, Programs Director Dance Films Association 252 Java Street #333 Brooklyn, NY 11222 (347) 505- 8649 brighid@dancefilms.org dancefilms.org  
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