Series: Alive From Off Center
Program: Myth of Modern Dance, The
Date: 1990-01-01
Subject: Modern dance; Evolution (Biology)

Clip Description
Occasionally reciting text from "The Myth of Human Evolution," by Niles Eldridge and Ian Tattersall, Dunn humorously calls into question the notion of a linear and sequential development of dance forms. The opening scene finds him emerging from a pile of primordial ooze, eventually approximating the hunched posture of the predecessor of man. Dunn is pictured executing interpretations of various dance forms, from contemporary dance to French court dances to Hawaiian hula dancing.These interpretations appear tongue-in-cheek, as all reflect Dunn's idiosyncratic movement style. Dunn's movements are executed against brightly colored electronic backgrounds.

A diverse musical score includes pieces by Brian Eno, Bob Dylan, Puccini, Mozart, Minei Charles King, Thoinot Arbeau, and Captain Tobias Hume.

This collaboration between video artist Charles Atlas and choreographer Douglas Dunn is based on a solo performance of Dunn's, called "Haole." Produced by Susan Dowling. Directed by Charls Atlas.

"Alive From Off Center" was established in 1985 as a production of KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis) . The show featured independent works by artists in a variety of media. Its showcase format was similar to the Workshop's "New Television" series. At some point the series changed its name to "ALIVE TV." Many works created by or for the Workshop were also shown on "Alive From Off Center." Additionally, some Workshop produced pieces were co-produced and/or commissioned by KTCA specifically for the series. Susan Dowling served as Executive Producer for these programs.

Program Description
Occasionally reciting text from "The Myth of Human Evolution," by Niles Eldridge and Ian Tattersall, Dunn humorously calls into question the notion of a linear and sequential development of dance forms. The opening scene finds him emerging from a pile of primordial ooze, eventually approximating the hunched posture of the predecessor of man. Dunn is pictured executing interpretations of various dance forms, from contemporary dance to French court dances to Hawaiian hula dancing.These interpretations appear tongue-in-cheek, as all reflect Dunn's idiosyncratic movement style. Dunn's movements are executed against brightly colored electronic backgrounds.

A diverse musical score includes pieces by Brian Eno, Bob Dylan, Puccini, Mozart, Minei Charles King, Thoinot Arbeau, and Captain Tobias Hume.

This collaboration between video artist Charles Atlas and choreographer Douglas Dunn is based on a solo performance of Dunn's, called "Haole." Produced by Susan Dowling. Directed by Charls Atlas.

"Alive From Off Center" was established in 1985 as a production of KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis) . The show featured independent works by artists in a variety of media. Its showcase format was similar to the Workshop's "New Television" series. At some point the series changed its name to "ALIVE TV." Many works created by or for the Workshop were also shown on "Alive From Off Center." Additionally, some Workshop produced pieces were co-produced and/or commissioned by KTCA specifically for the series. Susan Dowling served as Executive Producer for these programs.

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/Myth50.HTML