The Rituals of a Moving Body

a two-part film program on dance, choreographic movements, and somatic gestures from York University’s 16mm archive. York University, Centre for Film & Theatre

March, 6th, 2025 at 6pm

Curated by Luka Kuplowsky, Dhvani Ramanujam, and Nava Messas Waxman

 live performance by Noriko Yamamoto. .

The Rituals of the Moving Body is a two-part film program on dance, choreographic movements, and somatic gestures from York University’s 16mm archive. Spanning films from the 1940s-1980s, they widely range from documentations of rehearsals and performances (solo and group), to works that move beyond the preservation of stage events. That is, cine-dance or ‘choreocinematic’ works created specifically for the screen that accentuate the collaborative nature between dance and the camera. In ritualistic fashion, these bodies soften, spread and settle themselves in relation to other bodies, their social context and the physical space on-screen. In the weight, length or repetition of a pose the primacy of the body as a malleable, liquid architecture becomes apparent. 

Part I of the program includes a work from avant-garde filmmaker and pioneer of cinedance Maya Deren, as well as an early entry in Kei Takei’s notable project Light, an ongoing series of experimental performances spanning nearly five decades. We will also be screening Baggage, a late ‘60s film set in San Francisco featuring renowned mime artist Mamako Yoneyama, which will be complemented by a short live performance from Toronto-based dancer and performer Noriko Yamamoto, who previously studied under Yoneyama's tutelage.