Open Call:Empac Dance Movies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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EMPAC DANCE MOVIES COMMSSION 2010-2011
OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS
deadline APRIL 15th

- General inquiries: 518.276.3921 / dancemovies@rpi.edu (please publish)

- Emily Zimmerman (Curatorial Assistant, EMPAC): 518.276.4547 / zimmee3@rpi.edu
  (do not publish)
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Troy, NY – In April, while artists propose new works to be made for  
this round of the DANCE MOViES Commission, the five projects currently  
in progress will be finishing up post-production for a premiere at  
EMPAC in the fall. Projects from past years continue to tour to  
festivals and film venues around the world.

EMPAC (the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer  
Polytechnic Institute) is now accepting proposals for its 2010-2011  
DANCE MOViES Commissions. The deadline for the proposals is April 15,  
2010. This year, selected artists will receive awards ranging up to  
$30,000.

In addition to the funding, artists can also apply to create their  
works in conjunction with the Artist-in-Residence program at EMPAC.  
Works commissioned may take advantage of EMPAC’s spaces and  
technology, using infrastructure such as computer-controlled rigging  
or large-scale immersive studio environments.

As the first major US-based commissioning program available to dance-
film artists in the Americas, the DANCE MOViES Commission represents  
an important opportunity for those working at the intersection of the  
moving body and the moving image. The commission has funded thirteen  
projects in the last four years, with four of them also winning  
residencies at EMPAC.

There are up to 150 submissions per year, with four to five winning  
proposals. Artists selected can be from North or South America: a  
majority of recipients have been from the US, some working in  
international teams, with other winners also coming from Mexico,  
Brazil, Argentina and Canada.

Backed by the Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and Performing Arts,  
the DANCE MOViES Commission supports works for the screen including  
film, video, installation and other audio-visual formats. The works  
may be narrative in nature or abstract; they may range in length (up  
to 20 minutes); they certainly vary in style, technique and expressive  
intent.

The DANCE MOViES Commissions encompass a wide range of projects. They  
may take advantage of a variety of tools, such as computer processing,  
motion capture, simulation, animation, image processing and post-
production technologies. Some may not portray “dance,” per se, at all.  
All will, however, reflect or refer to the power of movement unfurling  
in time.

DMC APPLICATION PROCESS

The EMPAC DANCE MOViES Commission is a competitive open proposal  
process, in which eligible artists or groups from North or South  
America submit a project proposal.  The initial proposals are reviewed  
and a small number of artists are invited to submit a detailed  
proposal to an international panel. The panel assesses the quality and  
feasibility of the proposed project and submits its recommendations to  
EMPAC. The commissions are awarded by EMPAC after review.

Upon awarding of the commission, the artist or collaborative team has  
one year to complete the project, at which point the work is premiered  
at EMPAC, and shown at dance film festivals around the world.

The deadline for the proposals is April 15, 2010.

For more information on the DANCE MOViES Commission, including new  
guidelines and how to apply, please visit http://www.empac.rpi.edu/commissions/DMC/
. Guidelines and information also available in Spanish.

About EMPAC

The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center  
(EMPAC) opened its doors in 2008 and was hailed by the New York Times  
as a “technological pleasure dome for the mind and senses… dedicated  
to the marriage of art and science as it has never been done before.”

Founded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, EMPAC offers artists,  
scholars, researchers, engineers, designers, and audiences  
opportunities for creative exploration that are available nowhere else  
under a single roof. EMPAC operates nationally and internationally,  
attracting creative individuals from around the world and sending new  
artworks and innovative ideas onto the global stage.

EMPAC’s building is a showcase work of architecture and a unique  
technological facility that boasts unrivaled presentation and  
production capabilities for art and science spanning the physical and  
virtual worlds and the spaces in between.
http://www.empac.rpi.edu

About Rensselaer Polytechnic University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation’s  
oldest technological university. The school offers degrees in  
engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture,  
management, and the social sciences and humanities. For over thirty  
years, the Institute has been a leader in interdisciplinary creative  
research, especially in the electronic arts. In addition to its MFA  
and Ph.D. programs in Electronic Arts, Rensselaer offers Bachelor  
degrees in Electronic Arts, and in Electronic Media, Arts, and  
Communication – one of the first undergraduate programs of its kind in  
the United States. The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary  
Studies and EMPAC are two major research platforms that Rensselaer has  
established at the beginning of the 21st century.