Series: New Television
Program: New Television
Episode: 312
Date: 1987-01-01
Duration: 00:00:55

Subject: Children; Modern dance
People: Jones, Bill T.; Bowes, Tom
Copyright Holder: Tom Bowes and Bill T. Jones

Clip Description
In "21," Bill T. Jones performs a monologue and solo dance in a large dance studio with windows looking out onto the street. He tells us at the onset that some of his story will be fictitious. Two tales of sons leaving home are interwoven. In the first, Jones' oldest brother, "Boot," becomes a migrant worker. In the second, Jones himself leaves a liberal arts college to go to Amsterdam. Elements of these stories are repeated and reordered and they take on new meanings as a result. We are never quite sure what is autobiographical and what is fictional, although the story of Boot is originally placed in 1946, at which point Jones was not yet born. Interspersed with this narrative are movement phrases executed by Jones. At times, he counts the movements aloud. Musical pieces accompanying the work are "On the Future of Aviation" by Jerry Goodman, "Alanna" by Etosha, and "Weightless" by Brian Eno. Jones' partner, Arnie Zane.

This short excerpt features the tale of "Boot," the oldest brother of Bill T. Jones, who becomes a migrant worker.

Program Description
This episode of "New Television" features Tom Bowes's "21" and David Lyons "Anniversary Special."

In "21," Bill T. Jones performs a monologue and solo dance in a large dance studio with windows looking out onto the street. He tells us at the onset that some of his story will be fictitious. Two tales of sons leaving home are interwoven throughout the piece that is approximately 18 minutes long. Copyright: Tom Bowes and Bill T. Jones.

In David Lyons "Anniversary Special," a man shot in profile, in a monotone voice, tells the story of a relationship from its beginnings, through marriage, and ultimately through its deterioration. The piece is approximately eight minutes long.

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/21112.HTML