Inaugurated in 1971 at the Anthology Film Archives and now considered the “mother” of dance film festivals, Dance on Camera annually presents a broad range of films including documentaries, shorts, features, experimental works, and music videos that celebrate the immediacy of dance combined with the intimacy of film. In 1996, Dance Films Association and the Film Society of Lincoln Center partnered to co-present Dance on Camera where it continues to thrive with screenings in the Walter Reade Theater and the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
Dance Films Association has facilitated the Dance on Camera Tour to offer innovative programming to various communities interested in screening dance film since 1999. Partners range from art institutions to genre specific festivals to university film and dance departments, both nationally and internationally. This touring program serves our family of filmmakers, while simultaneously educating a larger audience about the possibilities of dance on camera to promote education through presentation. In addition to customized programs, the tour has been expanded to include pre-selected shorts and panel discussions from Dance on Camera powered by VHX.
Four decades later after the first Dance on Camera, DFA launched its year-round series Films That Move, screening accessible programs for free or close to it throughout the five boroughs. Dance films have graced screens at The World Financial Center, Solar 1 Environmental Center, 92nd Street Y/Tribeca Dixon Place, Pink Pony, Barbes, Gibney Dance Studio, and Baryshnikov Arts Center. In addition, resources are available that list other festivals that screen dance films alongside distributors that pick up dance films.
