trailerpilot

Back in Seattle I would attend an annual mini-fest of dance films at The Little Theater (no joke on that name — picture the bathroom at Links Hall with two folding chairs and a screen in it). The genre, then just gaining traction, blew me away through early shorts by DV8 Physical Theatre, Wim Vandekeybus, 33 Fainting Spells, La La La Human Steps and the like.

Hedwig Dances on set for Arch of Repose.

Sarah Best and Hedwig Dances’ Jan Bartoszek have been putting together a two-night festival at the Chicago Cultural Center for some time now (the last time I attended I was turned on to Heddy Maalem, whose company performed at the MCA the following season). Dance for the Camera 2009 kicks off at 6:00pm this Tuesday, October 13 with a collection including a film by Alla Kovgan and David Hinton featuring Nora Chipaumire, tech-savvy and sexy Australians Chunky Move, and Belgium’s Cel Crabeels. Wednesday, same time and place, Lucia Mauro will discuss the form and process with Bartoszek, who will share an advance peek at her adaptation of “Night Blooming Jasmine” for the silver screen, Arch of Repose.

Also tomorrow and also at 6:00pm (ack!), the Museum of Contemporary Art’s excellent fall festival of dance films aligning with their stage season (Kovgan and Hinton’s is in rotation, as well as Alain Buffard’s on Anna Halprin) will have one of its key events, a screening of Patrick Bensard’s hour-long documentary on Lucinda Childs, introduced by Childs herself.

Both events are free (the latter with museum admission). It’s a little cruel to have to choose, but the good news is you can’t go wrong either way.