Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company announces premiere of ‘Camo Man Dances’
The New York-based nonprofit dance company’s next offering in a monthly series of dance films has launched on Dance With Us.
Camo Man DancesBeginning Sunday, October 31, 2021Coinciding with Halloween, camouflage is the costume Daniel adopts for this latest film. Shot on location in Ucross, Wyoming, at The Ucross Foundation’s expansive compound (20,000 private acres), Daniel’s alter ego, Camo Man, is out in the wild. Toggling between a signature humor and a serious commitment to the art of contemporary modern dance, Camo Man Dances plays with the viewer’s expectations.
“Camouflage means something different to everyone. For hunters, the clothing is part of their way of life. For the general consumer, it has become a norm in fashion, with endless variations available. I was interested in exploring this concept of blending in as a metaphor for the ability to transform one’s identity,” said Daniel Gwirtzman.
“While hunters were shooting deer on the sublime property, I was shooting the deer with my camera. The shocking irony of this resonated viscerally, as I would hear the gunshots while in the act of capturing them, and creating choreography based on their movements. Five weeks in isolation on the property provided many moments to observe and research their behavior. The residency staff advised me to wear orange so they would not have the casualty of a wounded artist under their watch! After shooting I would go into town and shop for groceries in my costume, while others were wearing the same garb as their daily uniform. The contrast between these perspectives toward nature informed the piece, which investigates the essence of blending in and standing out.”
Featured on the Dance With Us site are exclusive narrated video clips from the special guests from the site’s launch, as well as an exclusive guided tour of the site from Daniel himself. Other highlights of the platform launch event include the premieres of Parade, Willow, Dollhouse, and a newly edited version of last year’s acclaimed The Fantasyland Project, all of which were produced during the pandemic; and the opening of the Dance With Us Photo Gallery. Mixing discussions, dancing, and conversations, the interactive premiere was highly accessible, entertaining, and educational. Watch the trailer!
“The heart of the platform is the ability to hear about dance from a range of artists, including many former dancers along with several esteemed guests, while watching the diverse range of choreography,” said Daniel. “The platform houses scores of interviews and narrated dances which will live on the platform as discrete bite-sized films. These are unique opportunities to hear the perspectives of the performers, not only learning how they became dancers and what influences in their lives have supported their pathways, but what goes through their minds as they watch choreography, and watch themselves, or others, perform. I think this kind of immersion into the world of contemporary dance allows audiences to not only gain more insight, but to refine their own opinions and ideas, and to be empowered to express these.”
About Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company
A teaching and performing organization celebrating its 23rd Anniversary, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company has demonstrated a commitment to education since its inception in 1998. The Company has stayed true to its mission of cultivating the creation of innovative art and presenting this to the public in interactive, accessible, and meaningful ways. The Company believes everyone can join the dance. Programs encourage audiences to be active participants, integrating communities into the dance-making and performing processes, and teaching how dance can play a meaningful part of one’s physical and overall health.
About Daniel Gwirtzman
Daniel Gwirtzman–producer, director, educator, filmmaker and dancer–celebrates twenty-six years as a New York choreographer and company director. His diverse repertory has earned praise for its humor, stylistic versatility, musicality, charisma and accessibility. “A flair for the entertaining,” says critic Elizabeth Zimmer. “Mr. Gwirtzman does know that in dance less can be more. And that’s a good thing for any choreographer to know” writes The New York Times. The New Yorker describes him as a choreographer of “high spirits and skill.”
