Series: Dance for Camera
Program: District 1
Date: 1973-01-01
Subject: Modern dance; Marching bands

Clip Description
"District 1," 1978, which was one of the first dance works created for the New Television Workshop. Choreographer Rudy Perez and visual consultant Stephen Price worked with Fred Barzyk to create this work, which features a large group of dancers working in downtown Boston at City Hall. The choreography is comprised of simple movements that interact with the architecture of the site. Still photographs are incorporated. At several points, marching bands enter the picture, creating a built-in sound score. Produced and directed by Fred Barzyk.

Perez made several visits to WGBH to prepare for the creation of "District 1." One trip was devoted to scouting locations. On a second trip, Perex brought visual consultant Stephen Price and a group of dancers with him. Using still photography, portapak equipment and a small crew, Perez was able to create a series of studies for the work, which were used to carefully plan shots during the production of the actual work. "District 1" was originally broadcast as a segment on "Dance for Camera" and later excerpted in Summer Dances and "Dance in Open Spaces."

"Dance for Camera" was the earliest series created by the Dance Workshop, which was coordinated at the time by Nancy Mason. The series was broadcast in 1976. Carmen De Lavallade, a former dancer with Lester Horton, John Butler and others, recorded introductions for the shows. The series appears to have been broadcast nationally. Some of the works were rebroadcast as part of the "Frames of Reference" series.

Program Description
"District 1," 1978, which was one of the first dance works created for the New Television Workshop. Choreographer Rudy Perez and visual consultant Stephen Price worked with Fred Barzyk to create this work, which features a large group of dancers working in downtown Boston at City Hall. The choreography is comprised of simple movements that interact with the architecture of the site. Still photographs are incorporated. At several points, marching bands enter the picture, creating a built-in sound score. Produced and directed by Fred Barzyk.

Perez made several visits to WGBH to prepare for the creation of "District 1." One trip was devoted to scouting locations. On a second trip, Perex brought visual consultant Stephen Price and a group of dancers with him. Using still photography, portapak equipment and a small crew, Perez was able to create a series of studies for the work, which were used to carefully plan shots during the production of the actual work. "District 1" was originally broadcast as a segment on "Dance for Camera" and later excerpted in Summer Dances and "Dance in Open Spaces."

"Dance for Camera" was the earliest series created by the Dance Workshop, which was coordinated at the time by Nancy Mason. The series was broadcast in 1976. Carmen De Lavallade, a former dancer with Lester Horton, John Butler and others, recorded introductions for the shows. The series appears to have been broadcast nationally. Some of the works were rebroadcast as part of the "Frames of Reference" series.

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/District22.HTML