GBH Openvault
Alive From Off Center; From An Island Summer
Part of New Television Workshop.
11/05/1984
Part of NTW Master Dubbing: 8/98
License Clip
This program cannot be made available on Open Vault.
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- Series
- Alive From Off Center
- Program
- From An Island Summer
- Series Description
"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 coproduced and/or commissioned by KTCA specifically for the series. Susan Dowling served as Executive Producer for these programs. Series release date: 1985
- Program Description
“From an Island Summer” was created by choreographer Karole Armitage and video artist Charles Atlas. In “From an Island Summer” Armitage and two other dancers perform her upbeat movements in two distinct sections. The first, dated August 27, 1983, takes place at Coney Island, at the beach and in front of refreshment stands advertising shish kebab and pizza. The reactions of passersby are incorporated, including those of a young man and a woman who are in fact intentional performers in the video. The dancers are seen on a circular ride at the amusement park. In the second part of the work, dated August 25, 1983, the performers are seen working in a rehearsal studio. The dancers take to the streets and are seen performing in front of a movie theater and at Times Square in New York City. The same man and woman who appeared in the Coney Island segment are amid the crowd. In both segments, the wandering eye of the camera rests on street texts in the form of advertisements and newspaper headlines. Armitage’s movement style incorporates punkish elements and classic ballet-like legwork.
- Duration
00:61:00
- Asset Type
Broadcast program
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Dance
- Times Square (New York, N.Y.)
- Modern dance
- Coney Island (New York, N.Y.)
- Amusement parks
- Creators
- Armitage, Karole ()
- Susan Dowling (Executive Producer)
- Atlas, Charles ()
- Contributors
- Byrd, Donald ()
- Boassert, Lita ()
- McMullen, Patrick ()
- Vishno, Mary Beth ()
- Citation
- Chicago: “Alive From Off Center; From An Island Summer,” 11/05/1984, GBH Archives, accessed April 16, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_AC876A5F1BE34D7F9F9AE0BEA2849303.
- MLA: “Alive From Off Center; From An Island Summer.” 11/05/1984. GBH Archives. Web. April 16, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_AC876A5F1BE34D7F9F9AE0BEA2849303>.
- APA: Alive From Off Center; From An Island Summer. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_AC876A5F1BE34D7F9F9AE0BEA2849303