RE: Tanz-Aktuell Dance/Tech Issue...

Johannes Birringer (orpheus2@t-online.de)
Tue, 26 Aug 97 00:55 +0100

Hello list,

as Mark mentioned, yes, "ballet international/tanz aktuell" issue 8/9 (august)
featured dance and technology with gorgeous (as usual) layout and stunning
photography and featured articles on history of dance/technology and
contemporary issues (computer and dance, especially the piece by Robert
Wechsler, lifeforms, collaborations between choreographers and video
makers,review of "videodanse", virtual reality with contributions by Yacov
Sharir and Myron Krueger, another piece on doing dance for television, on
technologies of the body and on autopsies, asides on Stelarc and Orlan, a review
on dance in the Net, mentioning our DTZ, a piece by Sally Jane Norman on dance
and cybernetics, another piece by Slovene composer Marko Kosnik, another review
of Japanese artist Tadasu Takaine, and the inevitable mention of Forsythe's
CD-ROM on dance technologies, etc).

I read the issue quickly, on my way to our performance/digital art workshop in
Dresden, wanted to introduce and discuss the journal and its theme, but there
was no time because we were too busy. "tanz aktuell" is published in german and
english editions, so some of you may be able to get a hold of it or order it

>http://www.ballet-tanz.de
fax +49 511 40004 170 (for subscription)

If there is interest in some of the articles or approaches, and if some others
in our list have looked at it, we could decide, if desired, to discuss one of
the other article and take a closer look. For example, since Robert Wechsler and
Yacov Sharir are members of our group, I would suggest that we read their
contrubutions in particular, and give them feedback. I will try to go for it
some time soon, and others could also take a close look. In particular, I#d be
interested in Yacov's experience teaching computer/dance at the dance festival
in Munich this summer.

(A very peculiar review came out in a german newspaper claiming that dance today
seems to be borrowing wildly from performance art and body art of the 70s and
after, with performing in the nude and in abjection as main tendencies right
now. As I write this, well, a couple of days ago I went to see the workshop
presentation performance of Nigel Charnock in Berlin ("Love, Sex, & Death"), and
very well, everyone was naked and enjoying it thoroughly.

regards,

Johannes Birringer
AlienNation Co.