World Premiere film by Benjamin Millepied’s Paris Dance Project
Wim Wender’s PINA in 3D
LA POPS UP
DCW Visibility Productions
Plus over +50 International Short and Doc Films
Workshop with Guest Teachers & David Roussève
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Barnsdall Art Park and The Philosophical Research Society
LOS ANGELES, CA – In 2025 Dance Camera West (DCW), will celebrate its 25th year as the world-renowned, Los Angeles-based organization committed to exploring dance on screen.
Dance Camera West 2025 will take place on Wednesday, January 29 to Sunday, February 2, 2025 at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, atop the beautiful hilltop Barnsdall Art Park (4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027) with a special presentation at the Philosophical Research Society (3910 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027).
Single tickets are $25 and a full festival pass—which includes all screenings and receptions–is $250. Early Bird Special is $125 regular; $100 for students (before January 1).
Dance Camera West 2025 will showcase a curated selection of 50+ films from 20 countries that represent the pinnacle of dance film creativity—each making its World, U.S., or Los Angeles premiere. This year, programs will include DCW’s signature VISIBILITY program premieres, a retrospective of Los Angeles choreographer David Roussève, a world premiere feature doc from Benjamin Millepied’s Paris Dance Project, LA POPS UP,curated by Kitty McNamee | Hysterica, celebrating L.A.’s unique industry choreographers, plus a reprise screening of Wim Wender’s iconic dance film PINA in 3D.
The Film Programs feature premieres of short and documentary films are by U.S. and international artists including Ryan Heffington, Mike Tyus & Luca Renzi, Nina McNeeley, Sara Silkin, Gabri Christa, Cara Hagan, Mitchell Rose, Keith Glassman,and many more!
The 2025 edition will also include a five day co-creation lab for filmmakers and dancers, artist Q&As, and receptions to enrich the community experience.
International Shorts Program B features short experimental dance films from Canada, China, the Russian Federation, France, Hong Kong, and the United States.
The eclectic lineup in LA POPS UP celebrates a vibrant mix of styles, spanning contemporary, hip-hop, poppin’, jazz, bharatanatyam, and more, reflecting the multicultural social fabric of LA. This dynamic event provides a platform for raw, disruptive, and authentic artistry, offering both emerging and established creators a chance to push boundaries and showcase their work in a unique, immersive setting.Many of these creatives have worked behind-the-scenes on major film, TV, and music projects, from iconic shows like Euphoria and Pose, to artists such as Rihanna, Björk, and The Weeknd. The commercial success of these works, however, too often overshadows the personal artistry of the choreographers involved - and this project is here to challenge that! Featured artists include visionaries such as Tony Testa, Nina McNeely, Mike Tyus, along with many others who are shaping the future of performance on screens.
Featuring six films created through DCW’s signature VISIBILITY production fund. Hosted by artist, educator, and scholar Irishia Hubbard Romaine. DCW’s current DCW VISIBILITY project is funded by the California Arts Council’s KDACC grant and the National Endowment for the Arts
A screening of shorts from Suriname, India, Finland and Fiji, in which the body participates in the restructuring of knowledge production. Films represent the range and richness of dance and ritual practice as a negotiation of past and present, an embodiment of ancestral history, and a re-imagination of cultural knowledge. A panel discussion with filmmakers explores the question how dance and cinema can offer an alternative and addition to western textual knowledge production.
Wim Wenders’ iconic film tribute to the genius choreographer Pina Bausch –whose stage work, The Rite of Spring, was seen recently at The Music Center– offers a rare contemporary dance-along in a vivid 3D format. PINA opened in December 2011 and was an Oscar nominee. Originally begun as a collaboration with choreographer Pina Bausch, Wenders conceived the film as an attempt to re-imagine her dance on the big screen. When Bausch died suddenly in 2009, Wenders forged on, turning the project into a moving tribute to her groundbreaking work with the Tanztheater Wuppertal ensemble. With longtime members of the troupe re-creating classic pieces, PINA delivers an exhilarating journey deep into Bausch’s world.
"One of the country's most inspired and inspiring dancemakers." - San Francisco Chronicle
Choreographer/writer/director/filmmaker David Roussève is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and a Guggenheim Fellow. He founded his company, David Roussève / REALITY in 1988 and has since choreographed, written and directed 14 evening-length works. David has created three short films Two Seconds After Laughter, Twit and Bittersweet, which have screened at over 40 film festivals in 12 countries and has been awarded at 13 festivals. David was twice a fellow in the Sundance Feature Film Screenwriter’s Lab and is the recipient of an award at the prestigious IMZ International Dance Film Festival. Twit, a feature screenplay based on his dance/theater work Stardust, was a finalist in two “Best Screenplay” categories at the Nashville Film Festival and a semi-finalist for the Los Angeles Outfest Screenwriter’s Lab. His screenplay adaptation of his dance/theater work Urban Scenes/Creole Dreams was a finalist for “Best Historical Screenplay” and a semifinalist for “Best Dramatic Screenplay” in the Feature Film Screenplay competition at the Nashville Film Festival.
Wed. Jan 29 - Sun. Feb 2 This five-day practical workshop is an opportunity to collaborate with a community of dancers and filmmakers on the creation of short dance films. During the workshop, participants will be guided through a series of practical exercises—both collaborative and individual—designed to encourage exploration, skill acquisition, and inquiry into the art of screendance. In addition to skill-building, participants will be encouraged to attend the screening programs and engage in discussions about the festival programming, identifying elements that inspire and inform their creative process. Himerria Wortham will lead the workshop with various guest teachers ranging from dance film cinematographers to producers +. The co-creation lab will culminate in a feedback session of the films with program mentor David Roussève. For more information:
More Info:
DCW selected films are chosen by a diverse group of L.A. based artists. The 2025 festival preview committee is comprised of 35 contributors who represent both emerging and established members of performance and film communities, and a broad range of identities.
Members of the DCW 2025 Preview Committee can be found here.
The 2025 Jury will present awards in five categories:
Best Experimental Short
Best Student/First Film
Best Documentary Short
Best Documentary Feature
Outstanding Achievement Award
ABOUT
Dance Camera West
Dance Camera West (DCW) aims to foster the creation of dance film by supporting production, presentation, and distribution of the art form. DCW has connected diverse cultures and environments through its exploration of dance on screen since 2000, bringing over 2,500 provocative films from around the globe to Los Angeles, and bridging the gap between the unique L.A. film and dance communities. DCW strives to invite a wide variety of patrons to experience dance that transcends barriers through innovative programs in public spaces and with prominent venues throughout the Los Angeles area including The Music Center, The Getty Center, REDCAT, Director’s Guild of America, Hammer Museum, The Broad Stage, Théâttre Raymond Kabbaz, and current partners Barnsdall Gallery Theater and The Philosophical Research Society. The festival showcases internationally recognized artists such as Merce Cunningham, William Forsythe, Paris Opera Ballet, Pilobolus, Marie Chounard, Akram Kahn, Jiri Kylian/Netherlands Dance Theatre, Lloyd Newson/DV8, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker with Thierry de Mey, Wim Vandekeybus/UltimaVez, Meg Stuart, Edouard Lock/La La La Human Steps, Pina Bausch, and Bill T. Jones, amongst many others. For more information, visit www.dancecamerawest.org.
Barnsdall Art Park
Overlooking the city of Los Angeles, at the crest of Olive Hill in East Hollywood, Barnsdall Art Park, and its beautiful hilltop campus, had its beginning in the early 1900s when Aline Barnsdall came West with plans to develop a theatre company. When Barnsdall donated the Park and its Frank Lloyd Wright designed structures to the City of Los Angeles in 1927, she wished to provide an accessible arts center incorporating and preserving the famous Hollyhock House as a vital component. The spirit of Barnsdall's intention was to maintain an active arts center for the community. Programs and exhibits became a part of the mission of the Park—programs that are used by thousands of Los Angeles community members as well as visitors from throughout the world. The city’s Cultural Affairs Department manages the Park through its Community Arts Division. Programs include the adult and youth art classes at Barnsdall Art Center and the Junior Arts Center, the Hollyhock House, museum education and tour programs at the Municipal Art Gallery, the theatre programs at the Gallery Theatre, and numerous festivals during the year that celebrate the cultural diversity of the community.
The Philosophical Research Society
The Philosophical Research Society is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit institution founded in 1934 by scholar and prolific author Manly Palmer Hall as a repository of multicultural wisdom sources and a center of learning. With a campus designed by architect Robert Stacy-Judd and later designated as a historical-cultural site by the city of Los Angeles, PRS is “dedicated to the ensoulment of all arts, sciences, and crafts.” Since 1934, PRS has continually offered public programs for all lovers of wisdom on a vast array of topics presented by luminary speakers. The campus includes an auditorium, bookstore, lecture room, library, and gallery, all of which facilitate a full calendar of events. The PRS School fosters a worldwide community of seekers through its courses, and the Society continues to issue new editions and anthologies of Manly Hall’s work.
For more information, photos, to schedule an interview or request press passes, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.
