Humans have been telling stories as long as they have been able to
communicate. In movement and in language, stories help us understand and
organize our world. This year the Dance Critics Association will examine
this human process in their conference, "Storytelling and Narrative in
Dance and Dance Criticism." Over the course of three days we will
explore how movement tells a story, and how our stories about movement
describe and determine what we see.
This year's conference is being hosted by Pacific Northwest Ballet in
their home at the Phelps Center in Seattle, and their new production of
George Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream will be the taking-off point
for some of our discussions. From there we will go in several
directions: across time, across styles and across cultures.
Conference Program
Each session will include time for questions from the audience.
Programming subject to change.
Keynote address by critic Mindy Aloff
Many Different Dreams
Looking at the various ways Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream has
been translated from text to movement and, from there, how that
process works more generally.
Reworking a Classic
The issues surrounding the restaging or re-imagining of an
existing work.
The Electronic Pencil
How new technologies are changing the way we "tell stories"
Telling New Stories New Ways
Contemporary approaches to narrative in dance
Beyond Scheherazade
Narrative traditions in world dance
A Life as a Story
Biography and dance criticism
Sharing Stories/Stealing Stories
The aesthetics and ethics of working cross-culturally
Writing workshops with Elizabeth Zimmer and Mindy Aloff and movement
session with Tom Truss
Panelists include
Gigi Berardi, Linda Belans, James Canfield, Randy Chiarelli, Robert
Davidson, Carol Easton, Rita Felciano, Pat Graney, Pauline Hilaire,
George Dorris, Jenifer Fisher, Barry Johnson, Spider Kedlesky, Alan M.
Kreigsman , Joan Laage, Lili Cockrille Livingston, Jean Lenihan, Toni
Pimble, Ratna Roy, Francia Russell, Lewis Segal, Scott Sutherland, Kent
Stowell, Cerinda Survant, Christian Swenson, Bernard Taper, Minh Tran,
Tom Truss, David Vaughn and Arne Zaslove
Seattle is home to many choreographers and dance companies whose work
will be shown during the conference weekend. For conferees planning an
extended stay, the prestigious Northwest Folklife Festival takes place in
Seattle the preceeding weekend, and the World Dance Alliance will be
meeting to the north in Vancouver, British Columbia the following weekend.
United Airlines is the official airline for the conference. You can
receive an additional 5% discount on any advertised fare or 10% off
mid-week coach fares by calling UAL at 1-800-521-4041. Make sure you
refer to Meeting ID Number 513DF. You may travel up to three days before
or after the conference for these rates. Avis and Alamo car rental
companies will also offer a 10% discount on their rates when reservations
are made in conjunction with UAL reservations
The Best Western Executive Inn (1-800-351-9444) is offering discount
rates for conference attendees. They are well within walking distance of
the Phelps Center and convenient to public transportation as well. Rates
vary from $103 for singles and doubles to $115 for triples and quads.
You must reserve by April 29 to insure the conference rate.
Transportation to and from Sea-Tac International Airport is available
from Super Shuttle (1-800-487-RIDE, 206-622-1424 ) or with Michael's Town
Car (book though hotel desk)
Press tickets for the Pacific Northwest Ballet production of A Midsummer
Night's Dream are available for Thursday or Friday nights. On the
Boards, a local presenter of contemporary dance and performance art,
will be hosting a "Seattle Showcase" Saturday evening at their home
theater in Washington Hall.
The Dance Critics Association appreciates the support of Capezio (R)
Ballet Makers Dance Foundation, Inc., The Harkness Foundations for Dance
and the Business Volunteers for the Arts.
For more information on the conference please contact local coordinator
Sandra Kurtz at 206-522-6451.