Lucinda Childs
Dance by Lucinda Childs

Through a film series, lecture, moderated discussion, and a master class, Festival Plus programming for Dance offers audiences a deeper insight into the artist and her work.

A co-presentation with the Institute of Contemporary Art and International House Philly, Live Arts has organized a film series to showcase the work of Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass. These films provide insight into their creative processes, their careers, and their lives.
All film screenings are free and open to the public, please RSVP to rsvp@livearts-fringe.org.
Lucinda Childs

Lucinda Childs (2006) Directed by Patrick Bensard
Free / 60 minutes
The Ibrahim Theater @ International House Philly
3701 Chestnut Street (map)
Aug 19 at 7pm

The filmed portrait follows Childs from her time with the Judson Dance Theater in New York in the 1960s, to her work on Robert Wilson’s seminal opera Einstein on the Beach, to her collaboration with Philip Glass and Sol LeWitt on Dance in 1979, and the work she has staged in Europe and the United States since.
Performances and interviews with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Philip Glass, Anna Kisselgoff, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Wilson, and others.
Introduction by Jenelle Porter, curator, Institute of Contemporary Art.

Einstein on the Beach

Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Image of Opera (1985) Directed by Mark Obenhaus
Free / 60 minutes
Live Arts Studio
919 North 5th Street (at Poplar) (map)
Aug 24 at 7pm

Einstein on the Beach was first staged in 1976 at the Avignon Festival in France. Scored and written by Philip Glass, directed and designed by Robert Wilson, and with choreography and libretto contributions by Lucinda Childs, this five-hour opera forever altered the perception and definition of contemporary opera. In 1984, it was restaged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; this film follows that production from rehearsals through performance.
Introduction by Andrew Zitcer, urban planner and arts advocate.


The Festival Plus film series is supported in part by the University of Pennsylvania.

Judson Dance Theater: Lucinda Childs in Context
A lecture by dance critic Deborah Jowitt
Free / 90 minutes
CBS Auditorium, Hamilton Hall at The University of the Arts
320 South Broad Street (at Pine) (map)
Wheelchair accessible
Sept 11 at 2pm

Village Voice dance columnist and Tisch School of the Arts faculty member Deborah Jowitt examines the history of the Judson Dance Theater, and the work its disciples and fellow travelers would spawn for the next forty years. What began as an exploration of movement for the sake of movement and a rejection of movement based in music, and of virtuosic dancing in general, would lead to a complete and varied subset of modern dance in America, which included Lucinda Childs, Trisha Brown, Steve Paxton, Deborah Hay, Yvonne Rainer, and other influential choreographers.

Free / 45 minutes
Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
300 South Broad Street (at Spruce) (map)
Wheelchair accessible
Sept 10 at 6pm

Choreographer Lucinda Childs and composer Philip Glass discuss the process of their 1979 collaboration with artist Sol LeWitt to produce Dance, and how they have grown to see the work since then. With huge ambitions for Dance, the three set out to redefine an art form. When it opened it faced opposition from audiences and critics alike, yet it soon became regarded as a classic and its renown would make Childs a choreographer in constant international demand.

The Rock School for Dance Education
1101 South Broad Street (map)
Sept 9 from noon–2pm

Ty’s master classes are based on the Cunningham technique focusing on rhythmic, spatial, and physical clarity, combined with a sense of coordination and multitasking through the body. The class will also focus on the methodology and process specific to the work of Lucinda Childs, including phrase material from the repertory. From this class a group of 10 Philadelphia dancers will be selected for an October workshop with Lucinda Childs and Ty to learn material from Interior Drama, choreographed by Childs in 1977. To participate in the October workshop, you must be available October 18 - 22 from 9am to 5pm.

For professional dancers only. Space is limited. Please send an email expressing interest along with a professional bio to workshops@livearts-fringe.org by August 26. Please also indicate your availability to participate in the October workshop. Selected dancers will be notified via email.

Free / 90 minutes
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, home of Philadelphia Theatre Company
480 South Broad Street (at Lombard) (map)
Wheelchair accessible
Sept 10 at 3pm

One of the most influential and prolific composers and musicians of the modern era, Philip Glass discusses his experiences in interdisciplinary art-making. Before his compositions and style gained acceptance in the music world, his work was more readily embraced in the realms of theater, visual art, dance, and film, leading to collaborations with some of the most innovative artists of the past 50 years. These collaborations continue to make up a major part of his work as a musician, and he offers unique insight into the process of his interdisciplinary work, and the creations that have emerged from this work.

This symposium is for professional artists. Please send an email to workshops@livearts-fringe.org to reserve your spot at this event. When you RSVP, please include your artistic focus and suggest a topic of interest. Glass will structure his talk on the information provided by the audience and will also take questions from the audience.


Festival Plus for Dance is supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through Dance Advance.