Thank you so much for your support!: New York Public Library/Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image - Tanisha Jones and Linda Murray, Anthology Film Archives, DuArt, Emily Harvey Foundation, Experimental Television Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York University, New York Women in Film and Television, Orphan Film Symposium - Dan Streible, Fales Library - Marvin Taylor, Movement Research - Rebecca Wender. Thanks to longtime consultant Jenneth Webster, who is missed dearly, every day.
Spring 2024
stills from Skydance by Elaine Summers, 2nd Intermedia Festival, University of Iowa, 1982
images courtesy of the heirs of Elaine Summers, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and Iowa University.
collage by Elie Nassar. all rights reserved.
A Birthday Gathering for Elaine: Toward the Centennial - Skytime
This year, we will highlight Skytime Elaine's parting gift to the world:
An open invitation to anyone, anywhere to celebrate the wonders of the sky
in any language or medium. With the internet emerging more publicly by 1995, Elaine became especially interested in this new medium: What is it like? What can it do?
To learn more about this project please click here
To help finance the various projects presented during this event we will be asking for your generous donations via Kinetic Awareness®Center, Inc. a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. If you are in the USA, your donation is fully tax-deductible. You can also specify
if you want your donation to be earmarked for a specific goal or any of the projects.
Winter 2023/2024
IN MEMORIAM
Jay Clayton (1941-2023) singer, composer, educator, wonderful improviser and vocal pioneer.
From free jazz to experimental avantgarde work, Jay's warm and articulately playful voice reached countless people over the many decades of her rich and successful career.
Jay provided her unforgettable vocals as composer for Elaine Summers' Windows in the Kitchen,
(trailer on YouTube) which is getting more and more attention these days.
Phil Niblock (1933-2024) composer, intermedia artist, yet another pioneer in his own right, and involved with Elaine's Experimental Intermedia Foundation which he continued until his passing, producing countless concerts in his famous loft on Centre Street, touring, showing work, creating new, alone or with his partner Katherine Liberovskaya, as well as many other collaborators.
He worked with Elaine on her seminal filmdance Walking Dance For Any Number (1968), which has a dance score that can be performed by anyone who wants to explore walking. The piece can be done as a dance in itself, and/or as an intermedia art work where the dance is performed with four edits of the 16mm filmfootage (b/w) projected simultaneously
special thanks to the Emily Harvey Foundation
for hosting a series of intermedia concerts curated by Katherine Liberovskaya
including works by Joan Jonas among many others, March 22nd-24th, 2024 more information
Fall 2023
Pearl Bowser, photographer unknown
Rudy Perez, photo by Aram Jibilian
We have been left for good by two colleagues of Elaine's from the early days at Judson Dance Theater 1962-64, filmmaker Pearl Bowser (1931-2023) and fellow choreographer Rudy Perez.(1929-2023) There is a lot more to say about them both and their relation with Elaine Summers.
You are welcome to read more on this special memorial page.
May they Rest in Power.
Summer 2023
still from video recording at Zionskirche, Berlin with Two Girls Downtown Iowa filmdance by Elaine Summers
Kiori Kawai and Thomas Körtvélyessy both of the last generation who worked directly with Elaine explore the potential of her dance practice (Saturday) and their own further developments into bridging technique/hyperballet and interactive media (Sunday)
Open to interested participants. Lecture-demonstration on Saturday evening 20.00h/8pm
Full weekend €125, single class €35
More information, full schedule and link to register here or via Dock11.
Photos of Illuminated Workingman by Paula Court and Robert Lowe
Thanks to NYSCA, NEA, SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Gerry O'Grady and the city of Buffalo. NY.
Winter 2022/2023
Elaine Summers' filmdance of Walking on the Wall by Trisha Brown shown at
臺北市立美術館 (臺灣) Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Taiwan) 在夾縫中行走 Walking the Crack Metaphors of Contemporary Life, Odysseys in Linearity
September 8, 2022 to January 8, 2023 · Galleries 2A & 2B
curator Chang Fang-Wei, section “A Guide to Roaming and Thinking,” developed by Li-Chun Lee press release · exhibition page
Congratulations to the curator of the event for the innovative, and truly out-of-the-box arrangement of the projection! These are the kinds of moments that make our hearts at the Artistic Estate / Kinetic Awareness Center beat faster with appreciation. We were delighted to hear that it was the same for the 80 visitors, who equally appreciated the experience!
IN MEMORIAM: Henry Martin (1942-2022)
Henry worked closely with Ray Johnson and at one time danced in Elaine's Dressing and Undressing/To Steve With Love in the 1960s. Then eventually he went off to Italy, where he met Berty Skuber and continued his work between art, words and languages. Together they were also contributing artists to Elaine's Skytime-project, as was their son John-Daniel.
As co-director of the Emily Harvey Foundation and working at its locations in Venice, Henry helped many visiting artists, often related to FLUXUS, to work in and with the inspiration and energies of the city. To get a better idea of who he was, please read this very insightful interview, conducted about him, instead of him writing about others. https://www.sfaq.us/2015/04/henry-martin-in-conversation-with-john-held-jr/
Condoleances to Berty Skuber, and all family and friends who mourn him.
Henry Martin in the Arensberg Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, circa 1975. Photograph by Berty Skuber.
Harriet Bograd (1946-2022)
Harriet studied and danced with Elaine for a long time, incl. at the World Financial Center, Hidden Forest at Lincoln Center, and Invitation to Secret Dancers at Solar One, danspace at St. Mark's Church, Alvin Ailey Theater, and Elaine's Memorial at Judson Memorial Church. Harriet was also an early user of e-mail and the electronic highways that inspired Elaine for conceiving Skytime.
She was an ardent dancer at her own progressive synagogue and initiated dancing as part of a service on Zoom. She was also the president of Kulanu a public not-for profit organisation that supports isolated, emerging, and returning Jewish communities around the globe. We will remember and honor Harriet on Sunday during the upcoming birthday gathering!
Harriet Bograd dancing in Invitation to Secret Dancers, Solar1 New York City, 2005.
Winter/Spring 2022
Elaine Summers 1960s. Courtesy the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. All rights reserved.
David Vaughan's The Dance Historian Is In series: Merián Soto and Patti Bradshaw discuss the work of Elaine Summers
at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (online)
about the presentation:
Choreographer and performance artist Merián Soto and director, puppet artist, and choreographer Patti Bradshaw discuss their time studying with and dancing the work of Elaine Summers. Borrowing from the collection of Summers's materials held at the Library for the Performing Arts, they will show clips from her film archive, including unique footage from her classes. Alexandra Ogsbury, longtime and principal dancer of Elaine's company from the early '70s, certified Master Teacher of Kinetic Awareness®, massage therapist,
and Chinese Martial Arts teacher, was interviewed extensively for this event.
For those of us who are working on the Elaine Summers Legacy Project this event is a special gem,
as we are getting ready to interview the Second Generation of people who have worked with and/or were deeply influenced by Elaine, including Merián and Patti.
Looking forward to see you soon,
wherever you are around the globe ...
CONGRATULATIONS Pearl Bowser!
for two features in January:
Pearl Bowser embodies the importance of archiving the work of African American image-makers. Her materials have been added to the Smithsonian Institution’s Collections Search Center, as well as to a new, publicly accessible video player that NMAAHC initiated and developed in collaboration with other Smithsonian Institution digital units. Since its development, the video player has been adopted across the Smithsonian. Ultimately, this Exchange hopes to demonstrate that by putting her collection in action once again, Bowser sustains her historical support of media preservation efforts and of black independent filmmaking.
IN MEMORIAM: David Gordon, 1936-2022
Longtime friend of Elaine's, co-founder of the group that later became known as Judson Dance Theater, 1962-1964. Seen last year lying on a classic Kinetic Awareness rubber ball while while interviewed in the 1980s for the Bennington series, by Wendy Perron ...
One day before POOL SHINE/New York Traces where Windows in the Kitchenwas shown Sept 10, Kiori Kawai and Thomas Körtvélyessy met in person after six years, at the Zionskirche in Berlin. They danced with an installation of Elaine Summers' Two Girls Downtown Iowa and in the entire church, while the organist was improvising. The afternoon became a full session in- and out of intermedia, with two duets and two solos.
- Click here for more videos and photos about the showing + a partial recording.
- Click here for more about the afternoon & to learn more about the history of Kiori and Thomas at Elaine Summers Dance & Film & Web Co., and their collaborations.
Thanks to the curators Wibke Janssen and Sarah Möller for arranging that we could dance there! Thanks to the friendly people at the Zionskirche, which has a very special history in Berlin. Thank you Yoshiko Chuma for insisting that Elaine's work be shown at POOL Dance Film Festival Berlin and connecting with many new friends!
Special thanks to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and to New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) for their generous Women's Film Preservation grant that made the original transfer from 16mm to Digital Betacam possible.
FALL 2021
Windows in the Kitchen (1976-1981)
Matt Turney dancing in Windows in the Kitchen (1981) Courtesy the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. All rights reserved.
July 29th - August 29th at The Kitchen Online celebrating the Kitchen's
50 year anniversary. Curator and research: Matthew Lyons. Warm thanks to Paula Court.
CLICK HERE to enjoy the full video of the incomparable Matt Turney dancing in the windows of a loft space and her timeless presence accentuated by Jay Clayton singing.
Special thanks to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and to New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) for their generous Women's Film Preservation grant that made the original transfer from 16mm to Digital Betacam possible.
Windows in the Kitchen will also be featured at POOL in Berlin September 9th, 2021
together with an introduction workshop Kinetic Awareness® at Dock11, September 11.
More information here and here
2021
A Birthday for Elaine
Saturday, February 20th, 2021 starting or 10am, EST (New York)
To find out what time this will be in your own time-zone, click here
Every light is a visitor on this planet towards the Birthday Celebrations and on the day itself.
It's Elaine's SKYTIME, isn't it ...
Please RSVP until February 18th if you want to participate.
For reservations of a time-slot (after 17.00 hrs UTC) please e-mail artisticestate [at] elainesummersdance [.] com
before February 14th, midnight (going to the 15th)
In MEMORIAM:
ANNA HALPRIN (1920-2021)
Anna at Sea Ranch August 2019 Photo Credit: Rick Chapman
Anna Halprin significantly and irrevocably broadened and deepened the understanding of dance for so many people around the world into the 21st century, opening up pre-conceptions to something new, in the here and now.
May it reach many more people around the globe, and fulfill more of Anna's vision about what dance can be.
Our condoleances to her family, friends, colleagues, students, around the world.
collage, Tedrian Chizik (left) and Edward Barton (right) together with Elaine Summers, Michelle Berne (top center),
Roberta Garrison, Philip Corner, Alexandra Ogsbury. All rights of the owners of the photographs reserved.
In the wake of WorldAids Day we remember Edward Barton and Tedrian Chizik, two principal dancers and collaborators of Elaine Summers. Edward (or Eddie) Barton (later Bhartonne) started to frequent the original Judson group by 1963 and began working with James Waring and Elaine Summers (photos above from Tumble Dance, 1965) Tedrian Chizik, together with Barton, Alexandra Ogsbury, and Roberta Escamilla Garrison, formed a core of the Elaine Summers Dance & Film Company from the 1970s onward. In 1978 Tedrian joined the production of Dodoland for children, where he directed and produced one of the episodes, and closely worked with Merián Soto who in turn started working with Elaine Summers ... Both their biographies and their parts in Elaine's legacy deserve yet more research.
IN MEMORIAM Unfortunately, together with Jon Gibson, more important people in Elaine's life have left us this year for good:
Aileen Passloff (NYTimes Obituary by Gia Kourlas / on ArtForum ) had been one of Elaine's early inspirations when she came to New York and saw Passloff's pre-Judson performances, together with those of James Waring and Merce Cunningham.
All the more reason for the Elaine Summers Legacy Project to continue interviewing those of the first generation who are still among us, including Rudy Perez ...
FALL 2020
Honored once again for her lifetime achievements, Elaine returns to the American Dance Guild Festival
in its 2020 edition
Once again, our wonderful visionary at the forefront of intermedia, dance, somatic work, and so much more, comes closer to seeing her lifetime visions come true. Honored in 2012 with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Dance Guild (ADG), Elaine's work will grace us again next week with all its beauty at the 2020 edition.
From the 26th of October until the 1st of November, along with works by another trailblazer in her own right, Dianne McIntyre*, the festival will feature two of Elaine's highlights: the live-renditions at the ADG 2012 of Windows in the Kitchen and Invitation to Secret Dancers. Both were performed at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, with many thanks to Gloria McLean and her wonderful team for their longtime support and for that evening.
The performances will be live-streamed free of charge on the dedicated festival links, but donations will be more than welcome. Please visit ADG's website or their Vimeo-Page.
Remembering Jon Gibson
Next week you will be able to hear Jon Gibson playing the flute during Windows in the Kitchen in 2012. Unfortunately Jon left us on October 11, 2020. Please take a moment to read his NY-Times obituary To our memory, Jon and Elaine began collaborating during the 1960s days and kept their professional friendship until each of them is now no longer with us. We will write more about our work for the Elaine Summers Legacy Project in a coming newsletter.
Congratulations Carman Moore!
We would also like to take this moment to share our excitement that after a long and fulfilling career filled with passion and joy, Carman reaped more fruits of his life-time achievements chosen as “VISIONARY COMPOSER OF THE YEAR 2020” by the Composers Now organization. Please visit his website to learn more about yet another longtime friend and collaborator of Elaine's for many, many years.
Carman also composed the music that you will be able to enjoy next week when you hopefully join Elaine and friends with Invitation to Secret Dancers ...
PLEASE JOIN US NEXT WEEK:
Record & Send us a video of you dancing to the livestream of Invitation to Secret Dancers at elainesummersdance[at]gmail[dot]com
We will post them here and on Facebook.
SUMMER 2019
Elaine Summers featured at un dancing per bailare studio concreto Lecce, Italy May 18 - September 7, 2019
other featured artists: Alvin Curran, Anna Halprin, Hendricus Th. Wijdeveld
click here for the e-mail announcement of the entire series
It was great to get in touch again with Elaine's longtime colleague from the original Judson days and onward, Mr. Rudy Perez for his kind help towards this event! In 1963 he choreographed a very funny duet Take Your Alligator With You, where he and Elaine performed various photo-poses as an odd couple, and used each other as horizontal or vertical props. This is his website with much more
You can scroll down to read the newspaper clipping featuring him in an article about the early days of Experimental Intermedia Foundation (... or, if you are really in an hurry, just click here)
FALL 2018
The Artistic Estate of Elaine Summers / Kinetic Awareness® Center
with special thanks to Jerome Robbins Dance Division, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
are pleased to announce:
Elaine Summers
in New York, Berlin, ... and Nice (France)
still from film by Carol Summers, shown during Fantastic Gardens,
intermedia dance concert by Elaine Summers, 1964. all rights reserved
16 September opening exhibition Judson Dance Theater: The Work is Never Done
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York, curated by Ana Janevski and Thomas Lax
with a new article by Gloria Sutton about Elaine's intermedia work in the catalogue more information
12 September, filmdance Iowa Blizzard '73
POOL/SHINE New York Traces, Dock11, Berlin, Germany
co-curated by Yoshiko Chuma and Sarah Moeller
round-panel with Yoshiko Chuma, Douglas Dunn, Thomas Körtvélyessy new article about Iowa Blizzard more information
+
workshop Kinetic Awareness® by Thomas Körtvélyessy
September 13, at EDEN Studios, Breite Strasse 43, Berlin more information
11 October
opening exhibition Inventing Dance: In and Around Judson, New York 1959 – 1970
featuring several works by Elaine Summers
curated by Olivier Bergesi and Andreas Petrossiants
Galerie contemporaine du Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain (MAMAC)
Place Yves Klein – Nice, France
Still from Walking on the Wall by Elaine Summers, performance: Trisha Brown Dance Company, Whitney Museum 1971
Reproduction with kind permission by the Artistic Estate of Elaine Summers and Trisha Brown Dance Company
While Elaine is at Carnegie Hall (at last!) side by side with Jimi Hendrix & Allen Ginsberg in the exposition Artifacts of Change, through the initiative of the talented Jennifer Eberhardt at Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library of the Performing Arts, we are very much looking forward to see Elaine's newly preserved Walking on the Wall in
A TRIBUTE TO TRISHA BROWN
at Anthology Film Archives, New York March 19th
- more information here -
This presentation of work by Elaine Summers has been conducted in proper consultation with, and the approval of the Artistic Estate of Elaine Summers with thanks to Kinetic Awareness® Center, Inc. Special thanks to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Special thanks to Pearl Bowser who generously brought her knowledge and memories of working with Elaine into the preservation process with Trisha Brown Dance Company. They in turn are excelling under Project Archivist Ben Houtman with care and diligence. The preservation has been done with a grant from the Mellon Foundation under the technical direction of Bill Brand, and with facilitation of the Artistic Estate of Elaine Summers by Kinetic Awareness® Center, Inc.
You can also see the film-excerpt at the finally published video recording of Elaine's Memorial at Judson Memorial Church, February 28th, 2015. Click on this link to go directly to the YouTube page where you can also click on the various time-stamps of the many parts of the 2 hour film ...
Thanks to Vincent Mineo, Harriet Bograd, Carman Moore, and everyone at Kinetic Awareness® Center, Inc. for making it possible!
Finally, Save The Date: September 16th,
for a coming exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York
Judson Dance Theater: The Work is Never Done
of which Elaine and her work will be an integral part!
- more information here -
Film still from Two Girls Downtown Iowa by Elaine Summers, reproduction with kind permission by the Artistic Estate of Elaine Summers
October 2017 is bursting with activity!
Elaine Summers' filmdance Two Girls Downtown Iowawill be screened at POOL 17/Dock11, Berlin Germany on October 4th, 2017, 19.00h, attended by Thomas Körtvélyessy as artistic exector of the Estate. Many thanks to Yoshiko Chuma and the festival organisers for their kind invitation and support, as well as Davidson Gigliotti, Cathy Weis, Jean-Ulrick Désert and Kinetic Arts & Sciences / Kinetic Awareness® Center. Special thanks to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
This event will be followed by a lecture-demonstration about Elaine Summers and Kinetic Awareness® by Thomas Körtvélyessy at Beyond . . . . Trisha Brown´s Opal Loop on kind invitation by Eva Karczag at ArtEZ Dansacademie, Arnhem, Netherlands, October 10, 2017
As if this were not enough, Noemí Segarra, Merián Soto, Patti Bradshaw, and Marion Ramirez will present Elaine in the air with me at the 92Y in New York City on October 20, 2017
Come and enjoy kinesthetic delight and wonderful surprises!
To close: the Kinetic Awareness® Center / Kinetic Arts & Sciences, Inc. has launched a new project to celebrate Elaine's living legacy, coordinated by Michelle Berne and Leeny Sack.
A first round of submissions will be accepted until Elaine's upcoming birthday February 20th, 2018. Please download the call for submissions for further information.
Elaine Summers in a performance of her Invitation to Secret Dancers at Solar1 New York City
photo by D. Goldberg with kind permission
IN MEMORIAM:
Pauline Oliveros 1932-2016, composer, founder of Deep Listening and longtime friend and collaborator of Elaine's. Pauline has created unforgettable music for dozens of improvisations and performances. It was her music piece Crow's Nest which inspired Elaine for her intermedia-piece combining film and dance of the same name. Pauline also contribute as musical co-director and composer for many of Elaine's later performances, including Hidden Forest and Skytime as well as Elaine's Memorial.
Hans Breder 1935-2017, intermedia artist and professor at Iowa University.
Hans was a longtime friend and collaborator of Elaine's. He invited her many times as artist-in-residence at Iowa University, where she would then create works such as Two Girls Downtown Iowa, Iowa Blizzard '73, and show first versions Skydance as part of the 2nd Experimental Intermedia Festival. Together they helped create the understanding of intermedia as an art-form in itself, going beyond mainstream categories.
Elaine Summers Judson Fragments
The Estate of Elaine Summers and the Board of Directors at Kinetic Awareness® Center, Inc.
are delighted to announce that Elaine Summers' epochal film Judson Fragments
showing footage of an exciting era, is now featured in the exhibition
Warm thanks to long-time supporter of Elaine's work, Tanisha Jones,
Director of the Moving Image at the Jerome Robbins Division/New York Public Library, Lincoln Center,
where the Archive of Elaine Summers is being taken care of.
Elaine Summers: Absence & Presence
Judson Memorial Church
28 February, 2015
6-10pm
Elaine Summers in rehearsal for "Theater Piece for Chairs and Ladders". Photograph by Dan Budnik
Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, New York NY 10012
Doors open at 6pm
Click HERE for the program
Made possible through the collaboration of Elaine Summers Dance & Film Co. with Judson Memorial Church, Movement Research, Kinetic Awareness Center, and through a generous grant by the Court Iron Cast Corporation, SoHo (chairman: Davidson Gigliotti), with the tireless contribution of all who are donating their time and energy for the love of Elaine's Memorial. Thank you!
With deep sadness, Elaine Summers Dance & Film & Web Co. announces the passing of Ms Elaine Summers on December 27th, 2014, 5.30 am at Bellevue Hospital, New York City from the consequences of a fall that she suffered at her home a few days before. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Elaine's family, friends, students, and lovers of her visionary and pioneering work.
Elaine's vision and understanding of movement, which reached beyond many opinions of her time into the present and the future, her wonderful energy, her deep wisdom, her ability to work with the most minute of ways, her laughter and encouragement to all who have worked with her, will all be dearly missed.
May her legacy continue to spread and create beautiful moments for all who encounter it!
A memorial will be held for Ms Summers on Saturday February 28th, 6-10 pm
at Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012.
We gratefully accept condolences, materials related to Elaine, and donations elainesummersdance@gmail.com
or by regular mail to 537 Broadway, 2nd floor,
New York NY 10012.
Photos by Paula Court, Copyright 2012.
WOW, what a week! We have some beautiful photos to share with you of Douglas Dunn and Jon Gibson (flute) performing with Matt Turney (on film) in Elaine's Windows in the Kitchen at the American Dance Guild Annual Performance Festival where Elaine was honored for her life's work. We presented Windows September 6th and 7th 2012, at the Alvin Ailey Theatre, NYC. On the Friday night, we also invited our friends on stage for Invitation to Secret Dancers. More photos coming soon!
This video is from our reconstruction of Ouverture, presented as part of Movement Research's celebration of the anniversary. July 6, 2012, at the Judson Church.
OUVERTURE (SPLIT SCREEN & BY CHANCE DANCE & FILM) was originally performed in 1962 with fifteen minutes 16mm film & 1 dancer, realized for Judson Dance Theater's First Concert.
The audience is requested to walk through the movie screen before seating.
In the film: Deborah Hay, Freddy Herko, Richard Brodney, Kenward Elmslie, Carol Summers, Elaine Summers, Sally Gross, Ruth Emerson, Carla Blanc, Arthur Levin, Al Carmines, George McGrath, Steve Paxton, Remy Charlip, Lila Pais, Josh Pais, John Worden, Sally Stackhouse, Harold Johnson, Joseph Schlichter, James Waring, Arlene Rothlein, Edward Barton, Rev. Howard Moody, Carolee Schneemann, Clyde, Rosie & Michael Lax, Christine Myers, Sandra Neals, Phoebe Neville, Larry Seigal, Robert Rainieri, Al Hansen, Ira Matteson, Bill Meyers, Johanna Vanderbeek, Carolyn Chrisman, Robert Ranieri, Norma Marder, Lou Rogers, John Patton, John Hoppe, Kyle Summers, Malcolm Goldstein, John Herbert McDowell, the parade for the astronauts on their return from the moon.
Don McDonagh and Robert Dunn chronicled the First Concert:
"McD: There's an interesting description by John McDowell of the opening of the first concert: 'The very first dance that ever happened at Judson was really very extraordinary in a couple of ways. First, the beginning of it, which was Bob Dunn's doing and was beautiful. The dance concert was announced to start at 8:15 and they went upstairs into the sanctuary to find that in order to get to their seats they had to walk across a movie that was going on. This movie consisted of some chance edited footage by Elaine Summers and test footage that I made... And we went on exactly, precisely for 15 minutes. The first dance which was by Ruth Emerson started on the dot of 8:30. As the movie was just about to go off, the six people or so involved came out, the movie sort of dissolved into the dance.' Dunn: Yes this was really incredible, the beginning of the first (Judson)concert. It doesn't sound like much now but it was extraordinary, my hair stands on end to think how that worked. Nobody ever did anything like that."
from Don McDonagh, The Rise & Fall & Rise of Modern Dance.
Many thanks to Levi Gonzalez and Sarah Holcman. Also to the secret dancers who walked thru the split screen.
Going through / organizing Elaine's ephemera for the Archive, we came across this superbly designed The Illuminated Workingman poster we had to share with everybody.
It says on the poster the illustration was done by D.Herring but we can't locate him/her.
Kinetic Awareness Intensive, July 23-27, 2012 (Monday - Friday)
Times: 1 to 6 pm
Location: Movement Research at Eden's Expressway, 537 Broadway, 4th floor. New York, NY.
Prices: $150 single day, $600 for all five days
Come study with Kinetic Awareness originator and one of the original members of Judson Dance Theater Elaine Summers, with her co-teachers Ann Law and Nina D'Abbracci. The classes include experiential anatomy, the ball work, listening to the language of the body, injury prevention, centering and balancing, keeping your body healthy through understanding the natural movement of all our systems.
The workshop will cover such topics as:
Your fabulous head & neck
Your great shoulders, arms and hands
Understanding your incredible spine
Your amazing pelvis and legs
Your elastic knees and feet that give you power to use gravity and levity
The breath of your life: the respiration system
Your expressive sound
Your viscerae: what are they doing? how do they work
Your total body system - how do they talk to each other
The 100th issue of PAJ: A JOURNAL OF PERFORMANCE ART has just came out! The editor Bonnie Marranca did a really splendid job. Thank you so much Bonnie.
For this special issue, they brought together nearly 80 contributors to the theme of this issue, "PERFORMANCE NEW YORK". Elaine has her contribution "WHAT IS INTERMEDIA, WHAT IS A RAINBOW" along with many of her friends.
Bonnie's ability to comprehend the importance of the individual artist to the entire scene where you live is really astounding.
Please go to PAJ's website and order a copy! It is really a must read for anyone who is interested in New York avant-garde scene from the 60s to the present.
With joyous thanks to all of the friends, swiftly circulating blood that keeps New York City scintillating. To encourage and support our imaginations to give us a world on this little island with all its beautiful estuaries.
Elaine
This video was shot in 1971 at the first Experimental Intermedia Foundation loft at 25 East 4th street. It shows Elaine and Pearl Bowser talking about editing Trisha Brown's Walking on the Wall performance from Whitney Museum. This is an excerpt from 20 minute documentary about the EIF.
Bill Haley Freeman lived on the first floor. The elevator there was an old cable elevator, so to use it everybody in the building had to corporate. Bill was a young video maker, and he did the whole tape about the foundation. It was right after we moved in.
Carman Moore was one the first artists, and Constance De Jong was our first administrator. It is Carman's music you hear in the background.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 4:30 p.m.
Museum of Modern Art, Theater 2 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2), T2
We're pleased to announce a special program of three films, Judson Fragments (1970), Another Pilgrim (1968), and Windows in the Kitchen (1977), at the Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday November 2nd as part of To Save and Project: The Ninth MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation; the annual festival of preserved and restored films from archives, studios, and distributors around the world, from October 14 through November 19, 2011.
This screening is one of two programs organized by New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) of films preserved through its Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF). The fund was co- founded in 1995 by The Museum of Modern Art and New York Women in Film and Television in order to preserve the cultural legacy of women in the film industry. Both programs are organized by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, in collaboration with Drake Stutesman, co-chair, The Women's Film Preservation Fund.
For more information on the screening, please visit the MoMA website.
J. Hoberman writes about to Save and Project in a recent Village Voice article.
Hope to see you all there!
IMAGE: Stills from Judson Fragments - Steve Paxton and Deborah Hay performing The Deposits at Kutcher's Country Club.
We had a great meeting with Tanisha Jones (director of the Moving Image Archive at Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts) yesterday. Her help and support for Elaine Summers archives at the NYPL is tremendous, and Tanisha is in charge of preserving the integrity of many historical works that reside there. She took us on a tour inside their vault, and you can feel ghost of passions that still emanate from what they have there. It was a very powerful experience.
On a way out of the building, we noticed an exhibition - and what a coincidence, it was Eiko & Koma exhibit RESIDUE. Eiko & Koma and Elaine worked together back in the days and Elaine respect their work very much. The exhibit was so powerful - we highly recommend it. It closes on October 30th, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Vincent Astor Gallery - 111 Amsterdam avenue, NY NY 10023. The gallery is open Monday - Saturday, please check their website for more detail.
What a wonderful surprise Ann Law came for a visit and brought wonderful presents for all of us. She surprised us having designed and made arrangement to make our own Kinetic Awareness exercise balls with KA logo printed.
We immediately got the camera and Ann showed us how she likes to use the ball and we made a video, I am supposed to put a voice over on top but haven't gotten around to it yet. I was so excited with this that I couldn't wait to share it with you.
Please contact Ann Law at annlawdancing(at)gmail.com for purchase inquiry.
- elaine
from SUN MOON STARS (Saturday, April 9, 2011. 7 PM) at
Fundação de Serralves/Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto
(Thank you Papagaio Loiro for the gorgeous documentation!)
Finally a short video documentation of the performance! Courtesy of Pedro from Serralves. The whole performance lasts little more than an hour, maybe elaine will do a screening somewhere.
from SUN MOON STARS (Saturday, April 9, 2011. 7 PM) at
Fundação de Serralves / Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto
(Thank you Filipe for the gorgeous documentation!)
Choreographer, Director: Elaine Summers
Dancer: Kiori Kawai, Thomas Körtvélyessy (from Rotterdam through Skype)
Music: Pauline Oliveros (accordion), Ione (spoken word), Jason Hwang (violin)
RAINBOW MANIFESTO (April 15th, 1966) by a Rainbow Man/Fluxus artist Ay-O.
Someone please perform this event score and send pictures to us.
Click here for pictures from his exhibition/performance at Emily Harvey Foundation Venice.
Here is a video of conversation between Pauline Oliveros, Ione, Jason Hwang , Kiori Kawai and Elaine - filmed for Lisbon television channel announcing the coming performance at the beautiful Fundação de Serralves/Museu de Arte Contemporânea in Porto under the magnificent João Fernandes - Elaine
I've been thinking about the stretch of time between when I made Dance for Carola (1962) and now (2011). The support of Judson Memorial Church during that span of time has been incredible - all the artists and all the works that Judson has supported are so powerful, they still resonate all around the world. Thank you Brian Aldous (http://www.brianaldous.com/) for great lighting and Jenny Holub+Johannes Holub (http://www.holubvideo.com/) for excellent documentation.- Elaine
Dance for Carola
Choreographer: Elaine Summers
Dancers: Meg Chang, Dale Andre
Judson Memorial Church, Oct. 30, 2010
Lighting: Brian Aldous (http://www.brianaldous.com/)
Camera: Jenny Holub, Johannes Holub (http://www.holubvideo.com/)
Editor: Johannes Holub
The program is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.
The assistance of the New York State Council on the Arts and the
National Endowment for the Arts
is gratefully acknowledged.
The recording was made possible by the cooperation of:
Michael Bloom
Judson Memorial Church, Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper (Senor Minister)
Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
The New York Public Library
Oh we have so much to tell you, the trip to Fundação de Serralves / Museu de Arte Contemporânea Arte in Porto, Portugal was wonderful. We did a performance SUN MOON STARS with Kiori and Thomas (thru ustream from Rotterdam) as dancers, Pauline Oliveros (accordion), Ione (spoken word) and Jason Hwang (violin) doing the music, and great sky videos by Aaron Sherwood, Shona Masarin (images courtesy of NASA), Geoffrey Hendricks, Adolfo (Gatto) Estrada, and Elaine Summers.
Everybody at the Serralves was just wonderful to work with, especially -
Cristina Grande, Pedro Rocha, Ana Cristina Vicente (curators)
Carla Pinto (video)
Nuno Aragão (sound)
Rui Barbosa (light)
There's more pictures, videos and music to come. But for now, we have this 72 hours time lapse videos, SUN MOON STARS timelapse by Taketo. Enjoy!
We just got the poster for SUN MOON & STARS from Serralves. The woodcut print with the rainbow is by Carol Summers, Rainbow Falls at Night (1974). If you want to see more of Carol's work, check out his skytime page here, or his gallery here.
Dancer: Kiori Kawai, Thomas Körtvélyessy (from Rotterdam through Skype)
Music: Pauline Oliveros (accordion), Ione (spoken word), Jason Hwang (violin)
Video by Aaron Sherwood, Shona Masarin (images courtesy of NASA), Geoffrey Hendricks, Carol Summers, Adolfo (Gatto) Estrada, Taketo Shimada and Elaine Summers
Sun Moon & Stars is a part of SkyDance SkyTime SkyWeb.
Elaine will be doing an Intermedia workshop on Sunday, April 10 from 2:30 PM to 7 PM at the Fundação de Serralves / Museu de Arte Contemporânea. Come swirls and whirls if you are in the area!
Elaine's film from 1973, Two Girls Downtown Iowa is part of an excellent group show Down Low Up High. Performing the Vernacular at Argos Center for Art & Media in Brussels.
The show features Trisha Brown, Joan Jonas, James Nares, Calico Mingling+Babette Mangolte as well as Elaine.
These are pictures from Buttons and Button Holes, Elaine's Videodance from 1978. It was shot in kitchen in the 5th floor loft of 537 Broadway which was the Experimental Intermedia Foundation studio. The film was produced by EIF.
The video is divided into 4 segments based on cultures: Italian, Portuguese, American and Jewish.
They read a humorous script/poem Elaine wrote about female domesticity but in their own languages. They all had to bring their own ingredients and do it on one take.
In those pictures you see Sao Nunes doing a Portuguese section. She was the only one who successfully threw a cup in the air and smashed it as it landed on the floor as you see in the photos on the left.
All those splendid photos are taken by Lona Foote.
Feb. 2011
As we promised, we uploaded another Elaine and dancers in a beautiful New York City garden on youtube.
You can read the scanned article about the film from the last entry.
As you see in the film create below, there are few people we can't identify - CAN YOU TELL US WHO THEY ARE?
Ford Foundation Garden (1971)
The dancers enter the garden and begin dancing. They mingle, improvising from personal vocabularies. Uniformed city policemen appears and urges them to be on their ways. They protest as they continue to dance, until they moved on to the street and continued dancing.
more on Ford Foundation Building - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Foundation_Building
Choreographer: Elaine Summers
Dancers: Nanette Siebert, Alexandra Ogsbury, Rosemary Butcher, David Myles, Marilyn Wood, Elaine Summers, and a mystery gardener with a hose - who is he?
Music: Jon Gibson, Mystery Flute player - help us identify him!
Camera and Edit: Mystery guys from NYU Film. Do you know them?!
This, we found in Elaine's archive. It talks about her Ford Foundation film very well.
Incidentally We just digitized the film as well.
We'll post the video soon.
from Element, June-July 1971. vol. 2 no. 5
by Marietta Milbert
Here are some pictures from the SKYTIME/SKYDANCE/SKYWEB - IMPROVIZATION with SUN+MOON+STARS on November 5, 2010 at Emily Harvey Foundation. It was a very fun evening. Thanks Kiori+Thomas+Pauline for the spirited improvization, and Ione for organizing this event. Lisa was awesome in setting up and projecting video feed from Holland! We'll post the video documentation soon.
photo of Kiori Kawai by Jeff Fox at Solar One, Invitation to Secret Dancers
The festival runs from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 and Elaine is presenting her SKYDANCE/SKYTIME/SKYWEB - IMPROVIZATION FOR SUN+MOON+STARS which features Kiori Kawai solo dancing with multiple projections of evening sky and stars with music by Pauline Oliveros. In continuation of the developing evolution of SKYDANCE/SKYTIME/SKYWEB, and as a transection of a multiplicity of times and places, Thomas Körtvélyessy will be joining this stage of the ongoing performance via satellite from Rotterdam Holland with the help of Adolfo Estrada, Stichting Stadspodium Rotterdam, Heidegger Studio, Demetri Esdelacropolis, Yoland de Pater / zwart konijn, and Roel Koppelaan / Plankgas.
This performance was made possible in part by a generous contribution from Judson Memorial Church.
Elaine Summers Dance and Film Would Like to Thank: Russell Connor, Paula Court, June Ekman, Sandra Lea Gibson, Lana Wilson, Leah Gitter, Ed Brand David Gitten, Thomas Houser, Tanisha Jones of The New York Public Library, Thomas Körtvélyessy, Andrew Lampert, Jonas Mekas, Pedro Lujan, Don & Leslie McDonagh, Alison Knowles, Judy Hussie Taylor, Hans Breder, Lily Cohen, Dan Streible of The NYU Orphan Film Symposium, Pauline Oliveros, Ione, Davidson Gigliotti, Sam Friedman, Douglas Burack, Christian Xatrec, and all the dancers in all the realizations of SkyTime/SkyDance/SkyWeb and The Danspace Project. and thank you also to any of those we forgot to mention.
Program for Fantastic Gardens, Judson Dance Theater, 1964. Design: Carol Summers.
Elaine is part of A SUNCTUARY FOR THE ARTS: JUDSON MEMORIAL CHURCH AND THE AVANT-GARDE 1954-1977,
WHEN: Oct. 29 & 30, 8 PM WHAT:TWO PERFORMANCES: IN HONOR OF JUDSON WHERE: Judson Memorial Church - 55 Washington Square South, NYC
Elaine will be doing Dance for Carola. Dance for Carola, a solo without music that was structured as "one thing" opened Concert#6 at Judson Memorial Church back in 1963. Friday Oct. 29, Merian Soto, and Oct. 30, Meg Chang will be dancing.
TICKETS $20 (students/seniors $10) with work by Toby ARMOUR, Arthur AVILES, Remy CHARLIP, Malcolm GOLDSTEIN, Aileen PASSLOFF, Yvonne RAINER, Carolee SCHNEEMANN, EmmaGrace SKOVE-EPES, and Elaine SUMMERS.
"Jill Johnston, a longtime cultural critic for The Village Voice whose daring, experimental prose style mirrored the avant-garde art she covered and whose book "Lesbian Nation: The Feminist Solution" spearheaded the lesbian separatist movement of the early 1970s, died in Hartford on Saturday." - WILLIAM GRIMES, from New York Times, Sept. 21, 2010
While I was away I read all writings of Jill's about world of dance in NYC, she was always essential part of the dance world as she was very present in the world of avant-garde writers, poets, dancers and artists. All this time she was writing and researching about her lost father and finally completed the exciting mystery book England's Child: The Carillon and the Casting of Big Bells. My special favorite of all wonderful, evocative words she wrote about Fantastic Gardens - "Fantastic Gardens was like a garden party gone somehow haywire" Our condolences to Ingrid. - Elaine Summers, Sept. 30, 2010
Summer 2010 -
We will be hosting NOT-FOR-PROFIT: 501C3 WORKSHOP & DISCUSSION.
This is not to be missed for anyone who is interested in 501C3 organization.
A wide range of topics will be covered -
1. Should you or shouldn't you; 2. What would it give you; 3. How to structure; 4. Q&A session.
WHAT: NOT-FOR-PROFIT: 501C3 WORKSHOP & DISCUSSION WHO: Douglas Burack: Lutz & Carr WHEN: Tues, July 27, 2010. 5:30 - 8:30 PM, FREE ADMISSION WHERE: 537 Broadway #2 (bet Prince & Spring St.)
Please R.S.V.P. Email: elainesummersdance@gmail.com with subject '501C3 WORKSHOP'.
Photos of Illuminated Workingman by Paula Court and Robert Lowe
Thanks to NYSCA, NEA, SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Gerry O'Grady and the city of Buffalo. NY.
Crow's Nest at Danspace/St. Marks Church, 3/18/2010, with Dancers: Meg Chang, Jill Green, Gabriella Hiatt, and Kiori Kawai
We will be posting the amazing music that enthralled and captivated us at Elaine's Danspace/St. Marks Church event: Jon Gibson's haunting flute solo for Windows in the Kitchen, Pauline Oliveros and her singers'Tuning Meditation made Crow's Nest a truly immersive experience; and Carman Moore and his Skymusic Ensemble provided the drama and flair to the new piece Improvization with Sun+Moon+Stars.
Today, we post an excerpt from Tuning Meditation by Pauline Oliveros and her singers. It was an emotionally evocative experience to hear approximately 40 singers communicate through pitch and tones.
The Tuning Meditation
Begin by taking a deep breath and letting it all the way out with air sound.
Listen with your minds ear for a tone.
On the next breath using any vowel sound, sing the tone that you have silently perceived on one comfortable breath.
Listen to the whole field of sound the group is making.
Select a voice distant from you and tune as exactly as possible to the tone you are hearing from that voice.
Listen again to the whole field of sound the group is making.
Contribute by singing a new tone that no one else is singing.
Continue by listening then singing a tone of your own or tuning to the tone of another voice alternately.
Commentary:
Always keep the same tone for any single breath. Change to a new tone on another breath.
Listen for distant partners for tuning.
Sound your new tone so that it may be heard distantly.
Communicate with as many difference voices as possible.
Special thanks to Pauline Oliveros and all the singers for this music.
Singers: Amy Carrigan, Ben Richter, Damon Baker, David Haiman, FitzGerald Taryn, Gwen Deely, Jim Ross, Jesse Scherer, Kristin Norderval, Jamie S Davis, Marcus Lindner, Maria Stankova, Martha Oatis, Meg Ryan, Megan Cauley, Melanie Hedlund, Myles Robert, Nicholas Croft, Peri Mauer, Richard Lainhart, Sachi Issui Minigishi, Sheila Donovan, Shiau-uen Ding, Terri Guest, Theresa Rosas, Sakura Suzuki, Yo Park, Vincent Clappsy, Vicki Beerman, Tom Blatt...
And Raphaele Shirley for the recording.
First run through at Danspace Project, 3/11/2010, from L to R: Meg Chang, Jill Green, Douglas Dunn, Gabriella Hiatt, Kevin Ho, Kiori Kawai and Elaine Summers
We think Elaine Summers Dance+Film+Web Company Improvization with Sun, Moon, & Stars - SkyDance/SkyTime/SkyWeb was a big success. We will be posting videos and photos here soon - but in the meantime, here are some reviews and articles.
Thank you everybody at Danspace - Carol Mullins, Leo Janks, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Abby Harris Holmes, Abigail Ramsay, and the curator Juliette Mapp.
A choreographic sketch by Elaine Summers for the performance of SkyDance/SkyTime at the Solomon R. Gugghenheim Museum in 1984.
Please visit http://www.skytime.org/skytime_history.html for a history of SkyDance/Skytime.
PLATFORM 2010: Back to New York City
Curated by Juliette Mapp
Elaine Summers Dance+Film+Web Company Improvization with Sun, Moon, & Stars - SkyDance/SkyTime/SkyWeb
March 18, 19, and 20, 2010 at 8PM
Admission: $18, $12 Members
Danspace Project: 131 East 10th Street (at Second Avenue)
tel: 212-674-8112 tickets: 866-811-4111 www.danspaceproject.org
Remembering the delight of working with Matt Turney
"Ms. Turney was a luminous still center in the dramatically charged Graham company, which she joined in 1951 and left in 1972." - Jennifer Dunning, from New York Times, Dec. 29, 2009
Imagine the excitement of creating a dance with Matt's exquisite kinetic imagination and the excitement of capturing her dance on film.
I looked for her and I couldn't find her because she moved on to new life.
Elaine Summers, Jan. 7, 2010
Nov. 2009
We have been busy updating Skytime.org website and preparing for 3 evenings at Danspace, curated by Juliette Mapp. But here is a video sample of my work with Kiori - Elaine
July 2009
We received a very peculiar letter the other day.
It was addressed to Film+Cinema Inc., and there was no return address. We know it was mailed in Oklahoma City because of post office stamp.
Inside, we found a letter and a five dollar bill. The letter reads:
"Dear Film and Cinema,
I owe Andy Warhol and Joe Dalesandro $5.00 to pay for the viewing of their film. I don't know the name of the film. But I saw it on a campus film festival. Enclosed is $5.00 dollars.
Very Truly"
We have no idea who sent us this letter - but we really would like to find out.
July 2009
It's starting to feel like a summertime and I don't care too much about NYC Summer. Too hot and too humid. When I can't get to sleep, I try to think about snow and running around in a field of snow. There should be a film about people running around in a snow field...wait, there is?
Naturally - here goes! A dancefilm by Elaine, IOWA BLIZZARD (excerpt), edited by Bill Rowley.
IOWA University, Iowa City, IOWA. 1973
Thanks to NYSCA, NEA, Bill Rowley, IOWA University - Iowa City,IOWA and Prof. Hans Breder and the Center for the New Performing Arts.
- Taketo
July 2009
Ellen Saltonstall is a master senior teacher of Kinetic Awareness. She has just co-written an all-encompassing book about Yoga for Arthritis. It is a comprehensive clear and direct knowledge of the connection of Yoga excercises that relieve pain and develop flexibility for specific problems of arthritis. You can buy it here.
I highly recommend it. Bravo! - Elaine
June, 2009
Elaine's inspiration and a dear friend Anna Halprin's Planetary Dance is this Saturday, June 20th!
It's a participatory ritual on the top of Mt. Tamalpais. Click HERE for more detail.
Scott Hull, who is an excellent photographer, shot and edited this video of workingmen outside our building.
Spring 2009
Our Intermedia media screening "Making Rainbows" at the Anthology Film Archives was a success! Thanks to everyone who came out.
Scott Hull took some beautiful documentations, we'll be posting them soon.
In the mean time, there are few events by our friends - please click on the photos below to see the detail. Thanks!
The Experimental Television Center's Presentation Funds program is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.
November 13, 2008
The day before the historical presidential election on Nov 3rd, 2008, Elaine enlisted several of her friends to mount an Intermedia guerilla public event. With a slide projector and several dancers we hit the street without any concrete plan of action. We were able to project images from Bari's Cafe (thanks guys!) on a north west corner of Broadway and Spring street, while the dancers danced in white costumes and a couple of white bed sheets in front of the cafe.
Elaine was extremely happy with the result and hopes to develop the piece into a new piece called "Galumphing".
Dancers: Kiori Kawai, Jessica Higgins, Joanna R Steinberg, Joshua Selman and Mark Lanham.
Scott and Mark trying few things before going downstairs.
Elaine w/ dancers: Jessica Higgins, Kiori Kawai and Joshua Selman of AOA.
September 25, 2008
Here goes the most recent performance of Crows Nest/ Solitary Geography in 2005. Crows Nest was premiered at the Guggemheim Museum in 1981 for the Intermedia Festival by Experimental Intermedia Foundation which Elaine founded in 1968. This recreation was performed at Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama and organized by Alissa Cardone and Alla Kovgan, members of an intermedia performance collaborative Kinodance Company. Performers include Alissa Cardone, Ingrid Schatz, DeAnna Pellecchia, Debra Bluth, Olivier Besson and Laura Quattrocchi.
Video by Charles Daniels
September 23, 2008
We edited a short video of Illuminated Workingman for Elaine's interview on the Performance Art Journal.
IWM was performed at Niagara Square, Baffalo in 1975. Thirty minutes of dancefilm was projected across a 120 ft-wide screen suspended on the columns of City Hall. The film projected onto the screen captures the faces, feet and actions of Buffalo workingmen, from a man guiding a huge airliner into position at Greater Buffalo International Airport to a Buffalo Sabres hockey player gliding across Memorial Auditorium's ice. Elaine choreographed and directed the intermedia film footage, Tony Bannon filmed this beautiful documentary footage, with Caman Moore doing the music.
September 4, 2008
A new issue of Performance Art Journal (PAJ 90) just came out. Please pick up a copy and read "Gardens of Light and Movement", a 15 page interview with Elaine by a writer/artist Kristine Marx. We would like to thank Bonnie Marranca, a long time editor of the magazine, Kristine Marx, and Paula Court - whose pictures illustrate the article.
You can pick up a copy of the journal at McNally Jackson if you are in Soho area in NYC like us, or order online from MIT Press.
photo and collage by Elaine Summers (1969)
Dan Streible (of Orphan Films and NYU) have been a big help to us recently. Dan and his former student (also our most recent staff) Gabriella Hiatt have found Elainie's early film Another Pilgrim (1969-BW-41min) and we are discussing some exciting future plans.
Original 16 mm films of JUDSON FRAGMENTS (1964) B/W - 15 min. and Windows in the Kitchen (1977) Color - 11 min. has been restored and safely delivered to Elaine's archive at the The Jerome Robbins Dance Division of The New York Public Library.
You can see the whole list of what they have HERE.
November 13th, 2007 - 7.30 pm PERFORMA 07 Film Programme: DANCE AFTER CHOREOGRAPHY / From Judson to the Present
Q & A afterwards, together with Yvonne Rainer
Elaine's NEW PROJECT! It will be performed on August 23rd, 8pm at Lincoln Center South Plaza. It is FREE and open to public. Click HERE for the project page, we will be putting lots and lots of stuff. - taketo
21 years ago Elaine Summers directed and choreographed an Intermedia opus for the Lincoln Center -Out-of-Doors Festival entitled Flowing Rock/ Still Waters. Now in 2007, Elaine has been invited to choreograph a new Intermedia work where the dancers are interacting with video projections of the dancers filmed during the performance of Flowing Rock/Still Waters.
Numbers of Elaine's friends will be participating: Pauline Oliveros, Alison Knowles, Thomas Kortvelyessy and Joshua Bisset to name a few.
Hurrah for Yvonne Rainer. Magnificent film/dance artist. Click here to see the detail on her Gala Performance / Dinner. See you there! - elaine
The exhibition is a work in progress "constructing the archives of Elaine Summers".
Come join us to the archiving of Elaine's choreography, Intermedia works, Kinetic Awareness, DanceFilms and much more.
DanceFilms and film documentaries will be screened by request.
Special Thanks to Emily Harvey Foundation, Friends of the New Cinema: Jonas Mekas, NYSCA, NEA, The Jerome Robbins Dance Division of The New York Public Library, Dr. Gerry O'Grady, City of Buffalo, Jenneth Webster, The Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, The Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim Museum, Otto Piene, Elizabeth Goldring, Center for Advanced Visual Studies - MIT, Jacob's Pillow, Brooklyn Museum and many more .
January 8th to 31st, 2 to 7pm (or open by appointment.)
Projection, camera, dance, installation.
Exploring ways of sketching for Intermedia work (film/dance/installation).
A chance to see yourself dance in video projections.
A chance to choreograph video images.
Choreographic notation with video camera.
Elaine will provide 2000 sq ft loft space with video projectors,
If you wish please bring your own video camera.
$25 per class (limited to 10 people)
"My favorite part of the class was the film. It made everyone's movement look so interesting, and the contrast between the light and the shadows of the body was really cool. It really gave me some interesting ideas for choreographing."
from Intermedia Workshops at the New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL. Oct 2006
with thanks to Dean Daniel Lewis, Dale Andree, Emily Harvey Foundation
Friends of the New Cinema: Jonas Mekas and NYSCA.
Winter / Spring 2006 -
We found a 3/4" videotape of the rehearsal for SKYDANCE by Elaine Summers with air sculptures by Otto Piene for the 2nd Intermedia Art Festival at IOWA University, Iowa City, IOWA. 1980.
Thanks to NYSCA, NEA, IOWA University - Iowa City, IOWA and Prof. Hans Breder.
Thanks also goes to the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at M.I.T. and the Experimental Intermedia Foundation.
Henry worked closely with 
Harriet studied and danced with Elaine for a long time, incl. at the World Financial Center, Hidden Forest at Lincoln Center, and Invitation to Secret Dancers at Solar One, danspace at St. Mark's Church, Alvin Ailey Theater, and 
