Each summer, the International Choreographers Residency and Open World programs help to enrich the ADF experience. Roughly 20 choreographers from around the globe come to study, make work and share ideas. CyberDance enjoyed spending time with two of this season’s participants.

Every Saturday night at the ADF, students, musicians and faculty come together to improvise with both movement and sound. CyberDance spoke with faculty members Ishmael Houston-Jones and David Brick about what a jam is and what role it can play in a dancer’s life.

ADF Tours are informative, educational, and fun! Tour participants have the opportunity to observe classes and rehearsals, and watch a short video documenting the Festival’s first 75 years of modern dance. Festival tours are great for individuals, community groups, and dance fans of all ages. ADF Tours will occur June 21 — July 16 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:30am and 1:45pm. Please call 919-684-6402 to make your reservation today. ADF Tours are free and open to the public!

On June 27, the Durham and ADF communities had the opportunity to attend a thought-provoking panel discussion on the 2010 season theme What is Dance Theater? Moderated by ADF Director Charles L. Reinhart, the panel included Martha Clarke, Academy Award winner Alfred Uhry, Tatiana Baganova and News & Observer journalist Roy Dicks. In this video, Alfred Uhry, Martha Clarke and one of Martha’s performers, Whitney Hunter, voice their opinions on the concept of dance theater.

Director and Choreographer Martha Clarke is the recipient of the 2010 Scripps/ADF Award and its $50,000 prize. The video is an excerpt of the tribute to Martha presented at her award ceremony.

ADF is exploring the relationship between film and dance during the 15th year of our Dancing for the Camera International Festival of Film and Video Dance. Of special note during the film festival this year is the launch of The International Journal of Screendance. CyberDance spoke with DFC Director Douglas Rosenberg and Claudia Kappenberg of the Screendance Network. The screendance clips accompanying the interview are from Veterans and Let’s Dance, two films awarded Certificates of Distinction this year. Please visit the ADF website for more information on DFC screenings and events.

Since the summer of 2003, local visual artist Carol Weisberg Burgess has been coming to the ADF to paint watercolor sketches of the dancers during technique classes. CyberDance recently spoke with Carol about her process of translating the movement in space to movement on paper. She says, “the dancers put their whole self into what they’re doing, and I just try to catch that.”