Series: New Television
Program: New Television
Episode: 407
Date: 1988-01-01
Subject: Modern dance
People: Agis, Gaby; Barney, Emily; Bushe, Clare; Fawcett, Lucy; Zerbey, Charlotte
Copyright Holder: Arts Council of Great Britain

Clip Description
At the opening of "Freefall," Gaby Agis is seen getting dressed in Western-influenced clothing. She runs through alleyways and streets. Meanwhile, on neighboring rooftops, women are dancing together across vast spaces. Agis eventually makes her way to one of these rooftops. In the second section, Agis and another woman are partnering together against a wall of aluminum siding. They bounce off one another and the wall. Following this, Agis makes her way into an area filled with lush vegetation. Hiding in the foliage, she smears her face with mud. In the distance, a woman executes Irish-influenced dance steps. When she hears Agis in the bushes, she runs away. In the final section, Agis and another dancer are seated in a large waiting room, on opposite benches. Building to a frenzied pace, they run back and forth between the benches, stripping away layers of clothing. Eventually they make their way into a large marble hallway, where other dancers join them. They weave in and out of the space, playing with the concept of entrances and exits.

Program Description
This episode of "New Television" features Dennis Darmek's "Roseland Recollections," Gaby Agis and Bob Bentley's "Freefall," Burt Barr's "Trisha and Carmen," and Myriam Alaux's "Criss X Cross."

Roseland Recollections "Roseland Recollections," features two female dancers performing a duet using techniques of unison and partnering. The work is five minutes long. Copyright: Dennis Darmek ?

In "Freefall," which is just under 40 minutes long, Gaby Agis and Company perform dance movement sequences in several distinct sections and locations. Produced by David Stacey. Directed by Bob Bentley. Copyright: Arts Council of Great Britain.

Trisha and Carmen In "Trisha and Carmen," which is approximately 13 minutes long, video artist Burt Barr turns his eye to choreographer Trisha Brown's performance of Carmen at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. Copyright: Burt Barr.

Criss X Cross In "Criss X Cross," by Myriam Alaux, dance sequences express the hidden emotions of three characters caught up in a philosophical chamber drama. Approximately eight and one-half minutes long. Produced and directed by Myriam Alaux. Copyright: Myriam Alaux.

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/Freefall134.HTML