This Wednesday, Dance in Bushwick (DIB), Bushwick’s local performing arts collective, is hosting their very first “Meet in Bushwick” event at The Sampler BK. The event will bring together dancers, performers and filmmakers alike to explore the relationship of dance and film. The event will consist of a happy hour followed by a screening of dance films, inviting guests to discuss how the two disciplines work together to produce an art form.
Dance in Bushwick was founded by Joanna Futral while she was recovering from a dance-related torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and wanted to find an artistic community to collaborate with. Originally an Instagram account that promoted local dance events, DIB started reaching out to local artists for networking and future collective projects.
“With so many creative minds here in Bushwick, we knew it was time to lift up voices here locally,” DIB told Bushwick Daily, “We’re following in the footsteps of others who have done what they can to make work here in the neighborhood, and hope to amplify these artists even more.”
Dance in Bushwick came up with “Meet in Bushwick” to facilitate new conversation between local artists of varying disciplines.
“We wanted to bring together multiple disciplines to talk and interact with each other about their arts,” said Futral. “Such meet-ups will create new opportunities for artists to connect and network.”
“Meet in Bushwick” is not limited to just dancers. Rather, each event will highlight a different discipline, but will be open to anyone in the artistic field to network and learn about a new creative processes.
February’s meet-up, the first one yet, will focus on the intersection between dance and film. Both being time-based mediums, dance and film use movement and perception to convey specific messages.
“With the nature of dance being so ephemeral, we often rely on cinematographers and filmmakers to help show our stories to as many people as possible,” Futral said.
In the past, DIB has hosted mixed bill dance events at Hart Bar and Unit J, both focusing on the dialogue between dance and other talents and interactions. For future meets-ups, DIB plans on working with (but not limiting to) lighting designers, clothing designers, and musicians with aims of “removing as many barriers as possible when it comes to understanding our own art and the art of others.”
The first meet-up is on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m., at The Sampler BK, located at 234 Starr St.
All photos courtesy of Dance in Bushwick.