Dancing for the camera





 


Above: A performance shot from Kessler’s latest video, Anima


A York dance alumna, Los Angeles-based choreographer and filmmaker Lynette Kessler (BFA ’78), will present a free, illustrated lecture and video screening on “Creating Dance for the Camera” in Burton Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 1:30 to 3:30pm. The presentation is co-sponsored by the Moving Pictures Festival and York’s Department of Dance, Faculty of Fine Arts.


Left: Lynette Kessler


Known for her collaborations with other contemporary artists, such as media artist Ed Tannenbaum and composer Amy Knoles, Kessler is a longtime dance and video innovator, creating pieces in which the human form is seen as an extension of the natural environment. Her work is described as a rich blend of conceptual exploration and intensity of emotional experience.


Kessler has performed throughout the US, UK and Canada in solo and collaborative group work, and her videos have been shown in festivals around the world. Co-founder and co-director of the international dance film festival Dance Camera West, Kessler currently teaches in Santa Monica, California.


As well as obtaining a master’s degree in fine arts, Kessler completed extensive additional training in London, New York and San Francisco with such leading artists as Bessie Schoenberg, Meredith Monk, Merce Cunningham, Margaret Jenkins, David Howard and Emilie Conrad. She has received numerous grants and awards for her work, including an artist residency at the prestigious Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California, and an Alden B. Dow Fellowship along with project support through Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and the National Endowment for the Arts.