'CONNECTING BODIES'
An International Symposium
15-16 June 1996

School for New Dance Development, Amsterdam, NL



This two day international symposium on the connections between the discourses and practices of dance and technology will focus specifically on the impact of new media technologies on dance making/ choreography. (This symposium is taking place in the context of Bodies of Influence.)

Symposium program will run from 9.15 am to 10.00 pm Saturday (all participants please check in before the start--registration information follows) and from 10.00 am until 5.00 pm Sunday

Presentations and discussions will reflect upon the following areas:

Choreographers, scholars, media artists and technology specialists from Europe, Canada and the USA have been invited to make the following presentations:

_ILLustrated PAPers_

*Choreography, Woman and the Gift of Dance*
André Lepecki (dance critic and dramaturge, New York City, USA)

*States and Themes of Weightlessness*
Kitsou Dubois (choreographer and researcher at the French National Space Studies Center, Paris, France)

*Interactive Technologies in Dance Research and Production*
Heidi Gilpin (assistant professor, Dept. of Dance, Univ. of California at Riverside, USA)

*The Viewer on Stage-Telematic Dreaming and the Confusion of the Senses*
Andrea Zapp (lecturer on new media, Academy for Film and Television, Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany)

_VIDeo PREsentations and PERformed DEMonstrations_

*M@ggie*s Love Bytes*
Amanda Steggell and Per Platou (choreographer and musician from Oslo, Norway)
Combined media dance performances in real and virtual space, where dancers interact with mutli-layered sound, text, and realtime videoimages through net facilities.

*Lifeforms*
Thecla Schiphorst (artist in residence, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada) with Bianca van Dillen and Mari-Jan Boer (directors of Stamina, Amsterdam)
New developments with this graphical, three dimensional system for the creation of dance on the human figure, enabling the user to create and edit movement.
--Thecla Schiphorst will also present her work on *Bodymaps*--an interactive installation activated by the viewer's touch.

*Alias Animator*
Peter Mulder (manager, NOB-Interactive Lab, Hilversum, NL)
Motion capture technology and character animation software which extends and simulates human body motion.

*Big Eye*
Eileen Standley, Lot Siebe and Sher Doruff (choreographer, video artist and composer/artist, Amsterdam)
A video camera follows the performer and converts movements to midi messages which can control the lights and/ or sound on the stage. (*Big Eye* has been developed at STEIM, the foundation of Electro Instrumental Music)
--Following this performed demonstration, Joel Ryan (composer/media artist aligned with STEIM) will give a short talk on his recent work with William Forsyth and with interactive technology for the stage.

_PERformances_

*Locator*
Simon Whitehead (performance artist, Caernarfon, Wales)

*Twain*
Susan Rethorst (choreographer, New York City/ Amsterdam)

*Kuma Guna-material to form to dance*
Maria Blaisse (professional designer, Amsterdam)

_DIScussion_

Two forums for discussion will be organised. On Saturday, small groups will convene to address pre-framed questions. On Sunday, Diana Theodores (critic and writer, senior lecturer in theatre and movement studies at Dartington College of Arts, Devon,UK) will chair an in-depth panel discussion on the theme of the symposium-the impact of new media technologies on dancemaking/ choreography.

CONNECTING BODIES is co-organised by Scott deLahunta and Ric Allsopp (Writing Research Associates) with assistance from Lot Siebe (School for New Dance Development, Theater School/ Amsterdam School of the Arts), the support of STEIM, Stamina CCA (Choreographic Computer Atelier-email: bdillen@stamina.nl), the Theater Institute of Netherlands and under the auspices of the European League of Institutes of the Arts. The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the advertised program.