tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47327159364786699902024-03-05T06:15:48.744-05:00Invitation to Dancemetuffer films, inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07429826362883974396noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-81281153288690472402014-11-05T18:40:00.000-05:002014-11-05T18:40:23.491-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/author/rachel-e-adams/" target="_blank">RACHEL E. ADAMS</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/2014/10/29/all-tomorrows-parties/">http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/2014/10/29/all-tomorrows-parties/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/category/bodiesminds/" target="_blank">BODIES & MINDS</a>, <a href="http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/category/wideworld/" target="_blank">THE WIDE WIDE WORLD,</a> <a href="http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/category/uncategorized/" target="_blank">UNCATEGORIZED</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/2014/10/29/" target="_blank">OCTOBER 29, 2014</a></span><br /><header class="topinfo">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">All Tomorrow’s Parties</span></span></h1>
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</section><time datetime="2014-10-29"></time>Beginning with the title, it’s hard not to feel welcomed by <i>Invitation to Dance</i>,
a new documentary by Simi Linton and Christian von Tippelskirch that
screened last Saturday at the Margaret Meade Film Festival in New York
City. It invites us into a world where the freeing, sensuous power of
dance is available to many different kinds of bodies. It invites us to
see how the movements of people in wheelchairs, people with the rolling
gait of cerebral palsy, people with one arm or leg, people with
conjoined fingers, crutches, braces, and all manner of adaptive devices
challenge the ways the able bodied have defined what counts as dance.
As it does so, <i>Invitation to Dance </i>tells a story about movement
as a form of self-expression and as the collective public actions of
people with disabilities demanding the right to access and inclusion. </header><header class="topinfo"> </header><div class="p2">
<a href="http://2jaug735w09q3iqc322yl87sli.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/disability.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="disability" class="wp-image-4694 size-medium alignright" height="300" src="http://2jaug735w09q3iqc322yl87sli.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/disability-300x300.png" width="300" /></a><span class="s1">When Simi Linton became a wheelchair user
following a car accident that killed her husband and best friend in
1972, she knew nothing of the movement for disability rights that was
just emerging in the United States.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She dutifully completed her rehab program, went home, and accepted that there were things she just couldn’t do anymore.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When she found herself excluded from social gatherings, classrooms, restaurants, and public transportation, she understood that she was the problem.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>To ask that a class be moved, sidewalks equipped with curb cuts, or bathroom stalls expanded seemed embarrassingly narcissistic.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Decades later, as a teacher and public speaker, Linton tells audience members to raise their left hands in the air.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“This hand is society,” she tells them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Now, make your right hand into a fist.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That’s the person with a disability.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Traditionally, our attention has focused on the way the fist of disability fails to fit the outstretched hand of society.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When the fist doesn’t conform, she explains, we say its failures and limitations are to blame.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Disability
studies—and the disability rights movement that inspired it—focuses on
how the hand of society creates barriers to access and imagines how it
could be more accommodating to bodies and minds that are different from
the norm.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> <i>Invitation to Dance</i> tells the
story of Linton’s conversion from fist to hand as her life and work
intersected with a broader movement for the rights of people with
disabilities.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Linton was an
activist even before her accident, and her affiliation with disability
rights is a natural outgrowth of her involvement in the women’s and
anti-war movements.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Her
story is intercut with footage showing important moments in its history
such as activists crawling up the steps of the U.S. Capitol building and
the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> <i>Invitation to Dance</i> is also about less visible forms of discrimination.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Most public bathrooms, Linton explains to a group of design students (gathered for an unconventional teaching moment <i>in </i>a public bathroom), don’t hang mirrors at a level where a wheelchair user can see her reflection.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When Linton’s husband needed emergency surgery, there were no wheelchair-accessible taxis.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Forced to take a public bus, she arrived too late to see him before the operation.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When
she visited Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, she
found an attractive entrance ramp curving up the side of the building.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Attractive, but not useful, Linton notes as the camera travels up the ramp, capturing the perspective of a wheelchair user.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Through
her eyes, we see how its high walls and narrow width cut the wheelchair
user off from her companions and other building traffic.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Once inside, Linton discovered the restaurant was accessible only by stairs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Contrast
the unwelcoming design of Disney Hall with the bright openness of the
Guggenheim Museum, built with a ramp as its central feature rather than a
necessary afterthought.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We
see Linton and her friend, dancer Alice Sheppard, rolling through the
Guggenheim, chairs and bodies moving in a graceful synchrony.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Documentary footage of Linton’s childhood shows a girl constantly in motion.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After her accident, Linton believed that chapter of her life was over.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Her body in a chair was incompatible with dance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Watching the Tea Dances at Fire Island in the 1970s gave her the first glimmer of hope that she would dance again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And dance she did, at parties, in the streets, and in the ballroom space of the Society for Disability Studies conferences.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>According
the Linton, dance is a powerful means to include people with
disabilities and recognize their capacity for self-expression.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Dance
has everything to do with sexuality, public visibility, reclaiming
space, and access to a life richer than just a struggle for basic
survival.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Invitation </i>showcases
the great variety of dance that can fall under the rubric of
disability, from the gorgeously choreographed performances of Homer
Avila and the AXIS dance company to the rougher more confrontational
work of the GIMP project and lively, improvised dances at private
parties and conferences.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2jaug735w09q3iqc322yl87sli.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/invitation-to-dance2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="invitation-to-dance2" class="alignleft wp-image-4695" height="280" src="http://2jaug735w09q3iqc322yl87sli.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/invitation-to-dance2-300x263.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="s1"> <i>Invitation to Dance</i>
intercuts scenes of disabled bodies in vibrant, sensuous motion with
scenes of professors and activists talking about issues of access,
disability rights, and the power and meaning of dance as a form of
cultural expression. But their eloquence risks obscuring the role dance
has played for those who lack the ability to express themselves with
verbal speech or writing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Focusing on the professional and social circles that define Linton’s orbit, <i>Invitation to Dance </i>doesn’t
mention dance troupes that incorporate people with intellectual
disabilities such as Karen Peterson, Restless Dance Theatre (Australia),
Jolt Dance (New Zealand), or Anjali Dance Company (UK).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The
work of these groups proves that dancers with autism, Down syndrome,
and other intellectual disabilities are equally passionate and capable
of using their bodies as a means of self-expression, even if they are
less verbally adept.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Noting the film’s omissions, I’m aware of how this is Simi Linton’s party.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She is a charming, articulate, and irascible host and her celebration is well deserved.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A scene near the end finds Linton, Sheppard, and dancer Lezlee Frye in a bar following a performance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Here are three good friends laughing, drinking, and having a grand time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sheppard
rolls her eyes with exasperation at how frequently (literally, every
day) she is called “inspirational” for doing ordinary things.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Frye mocks an audience member who described her performance as “so inspirational and sad.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The three women dissolve into helpless laughter.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is something a bit unkind about making fun of this spectator’s earnest and, no doubt, well-meaning response.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But
given the long history of people with disabilities being reduced to
figures of pity or inspiration, we must surely agree that these
women—talented, powerful, and, yes, flawed like the rest of us—are
entitled this private moment of comradeship and levity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Invitation to Dance </i>lets us share that moment and to feel, for an hour or so, that we have been allowed to join their party.</span></div>
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<em>–<a href="https://twitter.com/RachelAdams212" target="_blank">Rachel Adams</a> likes to have her cake and eat it too.</em></div>
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Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-44908119031346127452014-01-31T02:09:00.002-05:002014-01-31T02:26:37.099-05:00Invitation to Dance and The Fund for Santa Barbara<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCfKioMMA2YuhyphenhypheneLx3A-FiAf9E_TdW9ZsGkZe1S6IzLHN16dUP_FRjAbzfd758_ODRK6VYg-f6TVUPC_7NMKu_93ar9DtTfkRVkl0RCNuZo6bNUe7xMOH1wef2Jk993dD8i3x533Ol2Ch/s1600/IMG_1128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCfKioMMA2YuhyphenhypheneLx3A-FiAf9E_TdW9ZsGkZe1S6IzLHN16dUP_FRjAbzfd758_ODRK6VYg-f6TVUPC_7NMKu_93ar9DtTfkRVkl0RCNuZo6bNUe7xMOH1wef2Jk993dD8i3x533Ol2Ch/s1600/IMG_1128.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span color:="" font-family:="" new="" roman="" serif="" times="" white="">Shortly after hearing that INVITATION TO DANCE would have its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, we learned that our film was placed in competition in the Social Justice Documentary Film category. Extraordinary!!</span></div>
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<span color:="" font-family:="" new="" roman="" serif="" times="" white="">We are honored to be nominated for the award given annually by The Fund for Santa Barbara “to a film that makes a particularly valuable contribution to advancing social justice.”</span></div>
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<span color:="" font-family:="" new="" roman="" serif="" times="" white="">The Fund (<a href="http://www.fundforsantabarbara.org/" target="_blank">www.fundforsantabarbara.org</a>) is a nonprofit community foundation that supports organizations working for social, economic, environmental & political change in Santa Barbara County. We have since learned that The Fund has recognized disability as a social justice issue from the beginning. In fact, the first grant they gave, in 1980, was to Rod Lathim and Access Theatre (a wonderful integrated theatre company).</span></div>
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<span color:="" font-family:="" new="" roman="" serif="" times="" white="">The Fund has helped us with outreach in Santa Barbara, and has provided funds to increase the number of wheelchair locations in The Lobero Theatre for our Sunday night premiere.</span></div>
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<span color:="" font-family:="" new="" roman="" serif="" times="" white="">On Monday, February 3, at noon Christian and Simi will be on a panel of Social Justice Filmmakers, chaired by Geoff Green, the Executive Director for The Fund for Santa Barbara. The Fund has a long history including:grassroots organizing against discrimination of all kinds, supporting the rights & dignity of working people, promoting community self-determination, organizing for peace and nonviolence, working to improve the quality of our environment, and building cross-issue/cross-constituency coalitions and alliances.</span></div>
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<span color:="" font-family:="" new="" roman="" serif="" times="" white="">It is deeply meaningful to us that an organization whose motto is “change not charity” has recognized INVITATION TO DANCE, whose motto is: “equality, justice, and a place on the dance floor.” </span><br />
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Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-85604737111897944612013-06-12T17:46:00.000-04:002013-06-12T17:46:41.232-04:00Victory!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Last night the crowdfunding campaign for INVITATION TO DANCE ended with fireworks and hoorays! Together, we raised $30,700. We are humbled by your generosity, and feel deep gratitude toward each of you. You have given us the means to fini</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">sh the film. The outpouring of support from such a broad spectrum of people proves that there is a ready audience for the film.<br /><br />Once the film is finished, we will move on to distribution, film festival entry, and then begin screenings across the country and internationally. We will keep you updated on our progress and will continue to strengthen the community around the film and the many issues it raises.<br /><br />Thank you, thank you, thank you.<br />Christian and Simi</span></span></span>Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-3770672030085710812013-06-11T15:12:00.000-04:002013-06-11T15:12:41.790-04:00New York Women in Film and Television & INVITATION TO DANCE: A Great Match<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KR-7C9t_lrF6LjImji83kiVinXRqZAcsuR39sz7vzDe1moOGlozV_RnDK7OZ32envbQ5BcqOI-U-eFKf2ejLjBE7DB1-chnm93ZjfO4PNtCvSfX4R0ykxaOwJJJBPd3GRRcnUNAZ5Uts/s1600/SL+CVT+Arbus+award+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KR-7C9t_lrF6LjImji83kiVinXRqZAcsuR39sz7vzDe1moOGlozV_RnDK7OZ32envbQ5BcqOI-U-eFKf2ejLjBE7DB1-chnm93ZjfO4PNtCvSfX4R0ykxaOwJJJBPd3GRRcnUNAZ5Uts/s320/SL+CVT+Arbus+award+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKab6iiBswR28n9R0T85m1WyflHK7o2RybsiMqtv88Lp1eXmfG7ePaMMGxfURHswykG6pjELrKr10K5vTvX11heI70Ai1RQ_iwsSsi_OwEBFQeabuMQsBTm5DDsJ1P2yUnpCr0_OF22O-4/s1600/S+&+C+@+NYWIFT+2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKab6iiBswR28n9R0T85m1WyflHK7o2RybsiMqtv88Lp1eXmfG7ePaMMGxfURHswykG6pjELrKr10K5vTvX11heI70Ai1RQ_iwsSsi_OwEBFQeabuMQsBTm5DDsJ1P2yUnpCr0_OF22O-4/s200/S+&+C+@+NYWIFT+2009.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) has been one of our staunchest supporters.<span> </span>Check out their <a href="http://www.nywift.org/" target="_blank">website</a> and you will see INVITATION TO DANCE featured there.<span> </span>Our film twice received NYWIFT’s <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.nywift.org/article.aspx?id=LAS" target="_blank">Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant.</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are photos of Christian and Simi at the 2009 and 2011 NYWIFT Muse Awards luncheon where the awards were presented.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 2011 picture is with our friend and ally Loreen Arbus – an extraordinary advocate for disability rights.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you, NYWIFT, for all that you do.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christian & Simi</span></div>
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Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-82360127088396238632013-05-22T15:27:00.001-04:002013-05-22T15:29:48.331-04:00Power Conductor/Power Chair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The NY Times Music Critic, Anthony Tommasini, concludes his
rave </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/arts/music/james-levine-returns-to-the-podium-at-carnegie-hall.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=anthonytommasini&adxnnlx=1369250653-s2ZAkGQWlCscBDVPFYRdrQ" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">review</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">of James Levine’s return to conducting after a two-year absence on
a most peculiar note: “…you have to admire the pluck and
determination he has shown in this remarkable comeback.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Pluck and determination are terms usually reserved for
Little Orphan Annie, and not for “one of the greatest living American
conductors.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to wonder
why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Levine has returned to conducting using a motorized
wheelchair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of health
problems over the past several years have made it increasingly difficult for
him to walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the concert,
Carnegie Hall provided an elevating podium, with wood paneling designed to
match the elegant interior of the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Tommasini commented on these accommodations, and detailed
the careful staging of Levine’s entrances, and his pivots to greet the
audience. In describing a seeming glitch in his rotation of his chair,
Tommasini noted that this is a reminder of “how unusual it is for a conductor
to have to work out such mechanical matters.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">“This was Mr. Levine at his best,“ he wrote, and added
many particulars about the power of the conducting and of the conductor – who
“was actually bouncing around on the chair, smiling at the musicians, sometimes
singing the music audibly and looking altogether unrestrained.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, he gave Levine a strong
positive review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Levine loves his craft, loves his work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is, in many respects, unremarkable
that he should return to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
is not to discount how difficult it must have been to regain the strength and
agility he needed, but to acknowledge what was likely Levine’s capacity to see
himself doing what he had always done, in a different way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The boldness of Levine’s imagination is familiar to many
disabled people. In the face of so
much evidence that being an actor, or a doctor, or a teacher or a conductor is
not the province of people with significant impairments, many plow through and
do it. Tommasini’s reductive
“pluck and determination” barely covers that complexity, and his terminology
diminishes the potency of an otherwise glowing review of Levine’s conducting
triumph.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-34751367840521735452013-05-02T13:44:00.000-04:002013-05-02T14:05:12.263-04:00Icons of the Disability Arts Community: Part 1<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A brief moment to witness an instance of cultural
connectedness. This week two of the
icons of disability arts celebrated birthdays. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://lynnmanning.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Lynn Manning</b></span></a>, April 30<sup>th</sup>, is an award
winning poet, playwright, actor, and former World Champion of blind judo. <a href="http://www.rivalehrer.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Riva Lehrer</b></span></a>, April 25<sup>th</sup>, is
an extraordinary artist, teacher, writer and more. They have each, in theatre and in
painting, worked with disability and brought a new light to it, a new way of
seeing it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Riva’s beautifully rendered portrait of Lynn is below (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Lynn Manning: Comet)</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">, along with a
self-portrait (</span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><i>At 54)</i></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Following</span> that is a photo of Simi, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Lynn, Sharon
Snyder and David Mitchell, taken at a conference on Representing Disability,
Haverford College, 2006.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
were speaking or performing at that conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, Sharon and David are filmmakers (as well as
theorists, writers and more), and Riva is </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">the subject of their documentary
<i>Self-Preservation: The Art of Riva Lehrer.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy Birthday, Lynn and Riva.
A toast to you and your work.</span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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“Lynn Manning: Comet” </div>
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2007 charcoal on paper</div>
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(<i>Riva Lehrer drawing of Lynn Manning- tall black man, facing
forward, bare chest, holding his white cane with tip in air above his head</i>)</div>
</div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">“At 54”</span></div>
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2012 mixed media and dimensional collage on Amate paper</div>
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(<i>Riva Lehrer self portrait- white woman, red hair, in pink
dress, suspended in midair like a marionette puppet</i>)</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Simi, Lynn Manning, Sharon Snyder & David Mitchell
outdoors at the 2006 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Representing Disability</i>
conference, Haverford College </span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-47552373781613023612013-04-24T14:35:00.001-04:002013-04-24T15:10:51.433-04:00Our Thanks to AHEAD<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOzeahAS7Uw9AzvQ4nFLYt5LdnQp5XpaD7Fk3M_RjOfrcUrf9GoTGXgoRwkhYFTOAaaGISFzR9i7hMZUFihOvMqX-5BGjbAa6XEeO2sDMWOvWRRHQArBSuMiAedEX32Cq1xHJfCkky2P4/s1600/AHEAD+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOzeahAS7Uw9AzvQ4nFLYt5LdnQp5XpaD7Fk3M_RjOfrcUrf9GoTGXgoRwkhYFTOAaaGISFzR9i7hMZUFihOvMqX-5BGjbAa6XEeO2sDMWOvWRRHQArBSuMiAedEX32Cq1xHJfCkky2P4/s320/AHEAD+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As we work to finish the film, the Invitation to
Dance team is forging partnerships with a number of prominent
organizations. These new
collaborations are pushing our social media and outreach campaigns forward. We are delighted by the enthusiastic
responses, and we will be introducing our partners over the next few weeks.</span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.ahead.org/">AHEAD </a>(Association on Higher Education
and Disability) is one of the first organizations we contacted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The organization is committed to the
full participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of college and
university life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With members on
campuses across the U.S. and around the world, they are involved in policy
development and service provision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>AHEAD champions the rights of disabled students, faculty and staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short – they do wonderful work.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the recent issue of their newsletter, ALERT*,
they published an article about how Invitation to Dance, along with our
outreach materials, will be of value to their members. "Disability
resource centers can use this package to spearhead events that will stimulate
campus-wide conversations, and rally support for your efforts aimed at social
integration, enriched curriculum, and equity. These events are also
terrific opportunities to bring campus and community together – engaging people
from disability rights groups, veterans organizations, independent living
centers, religious institutions etc. "</span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanks, <a href="http://www.ahead.org/">AHEAD</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s going to take a village to finish Invitation to Dance,
bring people together and get these conversations going!</span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></o:p><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*currently available to members only</span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-22058717299498633992013-04-18T12:00:00.000-04:002013-04-20T15:15:12.870-04:00A Consecrated Dance Space<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wheelchair dancer Alice Sheppard is one of the central figures in Invitation to Dance. Alice is an unlikely dancer. Trained first as a classical musician, she then earned a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies at Cornell, leading to a tenured faculty position in the English Department at Penn State. </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span>In March of 2004, she found herself at an academic conference on
disability studies, learning to navigate in a newly acquired wheelchair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfamiliar with both disability studies
and rolled mobility, she was a curious and hungry participant in the goings on. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />It was there that Alice and Simi first met. And it was there that Alice met Homer Avila, an extraordinary dancer, who, in the early part of his career danced on two legs, and then, following cancer surgery and an amputation, on one. His performance at that conference in Atlanta was his last public performance; he died 6 weeks later.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigj8_JupXroLq0REPUxMIlRYXe3V6h2wucQSBeyzveVHY1RqjvK-9XyBpnFls_KF54aF1XsNWK96mx6y-xISYjAzvvM9Wv6CUS0_pi2x_5e51mi0FjdULubPzOXUbAdqhUVaapXiqZKrxk/s1600/Homer+Avila3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigj8_JupXroLq0REPUxMIlRYXe3V6h2wucQSBeyzveVHY1RqjvK-9XyBpnFls_KF54aF1XsNWK96mx6y-xISYjAzvvM9Wv6CUS0_pi2x_5e51mi0FjdULubPzOXUbAdqhUVaapXiqZKrxk/s1600/Homer+Avila3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: Homer arched over a small chair, arm extended above his head</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">n the following excerpt from <i>Invitation to Dance</i>, Alice describes that first encounter with Homer. We first see Simi and Alice talking in Central Park, and then Homer coming down a long flight of steps using crutches, and playfully twirling in place. Video of Homer comes from Karina Epperlein's <i>Phoenix Dance</i>.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/clMhqkLA4Sw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Homer’s memorial service, on April 18, 2005, almost a year after he died,
was held at the legendary Danspace on the Lower East Side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three weeks ago, several people who
knew Homer were in the audience at Danspace to see Alice perform in </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">‘being Here’ by
Marjani Forté</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NY Times’ dance critic
Brian Seibert noted that </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">“Alice Sheppard pilots her wheelchair with
aggression and melancholic grace.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQvwGm69fwsyE-u3yX0DHsZygfcWyvhk1y_rLbajzAkV4UelWMuJIVfNX728I_U5g1Oi8n-z0nEKI5tXFKRAoCdQ5V1yBZbrZwFvgXlbEyg1dEi4LlxzVeYUWerQNCUc3sQ__8IlS5ljB/s1600/Alices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQvwGm69fwsyE-u3yX0DHsZygfcWyvhk1y_rLbajzAkV4UelWMuJIVfNX728I_U5g1Oi8n-z0nEKI5tXFKRAoCdQ5V1yBZbrZwFvgXlbEyg1dEi4LlxzVeYUWerQNCUc3sQ__8IlS5ljB/s320/Alices.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: Alice in a duet with a standing dancer- New York Times: March 22, 2013</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i>
But others noted beauty and power that Homer might have envisioned when
he dared Alice to take a dance class. Janet Lyon, an Associate Professor of English, and Alice’s former colleague at Penn
State wrote: “… when she made her first crossing of the stage in her
wheelchair, from the back to the front of the stage/space, she established the
aesthetics of movement against which the rest of the choreography would be
contrasted. Slow, effortless, unimaginably graceful in the ways that she
integrated the lower body--which registered as noiselessly flowing wheels,
gliding across the floor as if on ice--and the upper body, with arms and shoulders
and neck arching into the serpentine flow of the wheels. A fluid,
floating port de bras. It was gorgeous.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
Edisa Weeks, previously Homer's partner in Avila/Weeks Dance and now
Choreographer/Educator with Delirious Dances said: "I enjoyed Alice's duet
in Marjani's work. It was exciting to see a duet that wasn't precious,
cautious, polite and was about aggressively and physically connecting. Made me
think of a conversation with Homer about how some people assumed he was weak
and easy to take advantage of because he was perceived as being
"handicapped.""</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Exactly
8 years ago today we gathered at Danspace to recognize the genius that was
Homer Avila. His legacy (so to
speak) lives on in dancers whose lives he touched. Homer’s bold dare to Alice late
one night in a hotel bar clearly took root and flourished. We repurpose that invitation in our
film, and extend it to all.</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-26140549273555803932013-04-07T15:20:00.001-04:002013-04-17T13:02:07.865-04:00THE RIGHT TO DANCE<!--StartFragment-->
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The motto for INVITATION TO DANCE is: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Equality, justice and a place on the dance floor!</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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While there are no laws that we know of specifically banning disabled people from dancing, we know that the unspoken prohibitions against disabled people shaking their tail feathers in public have a similarly constraining effect.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0VTezc-1HaRR2dG_hLsVXWfCxq_iWq18nw45MKseafCjROHcWDpu_JbARBTKQrnvlFs0cGws05ELLZnrRaQ0m9sbEibMDcOwqTmb_CiYyS453U_7xKsPjLXAcBt-RS7e4dI-0wP9CGA2/s1600/NY+Mag+2-+she+danced+from+her+wheelchair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0VTezc-1HaRR2dG_hLsVXWfCxq_iWq18nw45MKseafCjROHcWDpu_JbARBTKQrnvlFs0cGws05ELLZnrRaQ0m9sbEibMDcOwqTmb_CiYyS453U_7xKsPjLXAcBt-RS7e4dI-0wP9CGA2/s320/NY+Mag+2-+she+danced+from+her+wheelchair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edie left, seated, facing us, in white wedding gown, Thea, sitting in<br />
wheelchair, with top hat on and sign saying "Just Married" on<br />
back of chair.</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Similar injunctions surely put limits on Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer
dancing together in public outside of the “safe” lesbian bars
in the West Village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was
where they first met in the mid 60’s </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">and danced that first
night until Windsor wore a hole in her stocking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Windsor is </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">the central figure in the Supreme Court case that
could strike down </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">the law
forbidding federal recognition of gay marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The world watched as Edie told reporters of
her 40-year relationship with her partner Thea, and the magic moment in 2007 when
they were married in Toronto, two years before Thea died.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In multiple news stories the public heard of
their loving relationship, and about how much they loved to dance. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">To celebrate
their fifteenth anniversary, Windsor and Spyer hosted a party for about 100
people. Spyer, diagnosed with MS three years earlier, was on crutches and joined
Windsor on the dance floor. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Edie, quoted in NY
Magazine</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">, said: “Even when she was in a wheelchair, she’d dance from the
chair.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We salute </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer for their
marriage, their activism and their dancing. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s all work together to integrate those dance floors, and
defy anyone who would put a stop to such gloriousness!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5a_rzVJrxYd-D_lrqyWWlA-E_p9OVRx0zTzUKOthQBieg625dHLTON18PPpwUORYMdeVSPqB3Lv2BFBfu-dY0vDeX8JLShyAcqVHGtftObKiN-X9ETfv58gtPoXItqR87-Kd78pYRofT/s1600/NY+Mag+-+she+danced+from+her+wheelchair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5a_rzVJrxYd-D_lrqyWWlA-E_p9OVRx0zTzUKOthQBieg625dHLTON18PPpwUORYMdeVSPqB3Lv2BFBfu-dY0vDeX8JLShyAcqVHGtftObKiN-X9ETfv58gtPoXItqR87-Kd78pYRofT/s320/NY+Mag+-+she+danced+from+her+wheelchair.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thea, left, using crutches, with Edie, both<br />
standing near a swimming pool and smiling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-15421412157504030112013-04-02T13:31:00.002-04:002013-04-02T13:48:04.795-04:00Welcome!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Welcome to the Invitation to Dance Blog – a forum for the
exchange of ideas about the people and topics whirling about in our film. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">We promise to
engage you in exciting conversation and meaningful action.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
We are the filmmakers Simi Linton and Christian von
Tippelskirch, writing to announce that w<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">e are in the final stages of post-production on
INVITATION TO DANCE. We are very proud of the documentary we will soon present
to you. It is both a personal story and a historical narrative - about Simi's
life as a disabled woman over the past forty years, and the dramatic growth of
the disability rights movement in those decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">As we work to complete the film, we need <i>you</i> to help us create a
robust and enthusiastic </span>INVITATION TO DANCE <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">community. Together, we can gather the
resources needed to finish the film, bring it to a broad public, incite
conversation, and mobilize a call to action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Please visit our website <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Hvy0YZ_EHd389R3jTrRkbnnBLb3ewO01MEjQka5KLngXcevUQX60xP_9uvvu7mBe2a3xVsk7NZmxMhQ7LelA2b2hrEOnxjiT-eGgkyNF1iNOWxdtI6SHvyrgXHsOQVn3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">www.invitationtodancemovie.com</span></a>, view the
trailer, join the ITD community on <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Hvy0YZ_EHd3FjRypEk_1uWzLjipetRfxlnivcPax4Dp4u8aC7wcJQleW35YiypQGNp5H7Fg9b47uRO6x_Uvml7AIPWtNKtDSBu6V1OCbUOfrgPJ3XBesRDoZENs6ldPTROsFA5ImRGO1iA6YnB4PdCtQEmycIhQOYw-kRq137El3D5oE0E9Ue6Y7los7BAJlyDftThFPl_E="><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Facebook</span></a> and <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Hvy0YZ_EHd0hBx89ot4H3eZsKRh3rBlJIbAhEUF8IOeI9yL-9wfqEjShqJ2mMzqwINkOmpnJO75uExacweUrF2W_vpUowpYy5MVRBWRwKVIG4UfHEcZlfQ=="><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Twitter</span></a>, and follow us here on the <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Hvy0YZ_EHd3dFzXG9sFD2LCIqytz-wqzWwRMVCpV8YrqJOpab3Q1t8T0MhLB7h8b79BYEcO5TElLjaaobHUkdLxf5tzZPjSBbAbl-OZIxRq4rzozWgA66fV_HibfAk9BeESHy9eVtjY="><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Invitation to Dance Blog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Sign up, sign on, and shout out!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Our best and our thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Simi & Christian <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcYqFnVt6OKgy528AGdvVF8ycp5kqTgb_wi2Vp3eDVRoEFidNk5KPyoO1WC2Ds3DVqOt-77K3VrmwQcNwKPpZTCbjOgA4xEHpu6ingvZ8LrAguKuy40Klv1IlNpTZ5D_o595PIpnT47Eg/s1600/AMANDA+USE+THIS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcYqFnVt6OKgy528AGdvVF8ycp5kqTgb_wi2Vp3eDVRoEFidNk5KPyoO1WC2Ds3DVqOt-77K3VrmwQcNwKPpZTCbjOgA4xEHpu6ingvZ8LrAguKuy40Klv1IlNpTZ5D_o595PIpnT47Eg/s200/AMANDA+USE+THIS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Christian von Tippelskirch http://www.blogger.com/profile/07087924897884027010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-34433547349142834112012-02-03T12:16:00.000-05:002013-04-02T13:45:59.783-04:002011 MUSE AWARDS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVr2Iu0izupnVY_poa-vHjYcegByxeLuB8RlnDZ8fEBfyUuExfxOgfow20YCz_KkGv7g0Rwb9gUB323YMchoCpUWr56ZFXSiw9XIRl-836cmxfLTi_Pu5sCz28Q2PkdLNvLInCtBK5EtOi/s1600/SL+CVT+Arbus+award+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVr2Iu0izupnVY_poa-vHjYcegByxeLuB8RlnDZ8fEBfyUuExfxOgfow20YCz_KkGv7g0Rwb9gUB323YMchoCpUWr56ZFXSiw9XIRl-836cmxfLTi_Pu5sCz28Q2PkdLNvLInCtBK5EtOi/s320/SL+CVT+Arbus+award+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christian, Simi and Loreen Arbus at the 2011 MUSE Awards</span></div>
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metuffer films, inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07429826362883974396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-77834453823443114412011-12-23T23:14:00.000-05:002013-03-19T14:31:11.710-04:00VICTORY<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 14px;">Justice has been served! Late today, Judge George Daniels has ruled that meaningful access to the NYC taxi system is required. For those of you who already have watched the rough-cut of our film "Invitation to Dance" know that Simi Linton was a plaintiff in above mentioned lawsuit. The NYC taxi of the future has to be wheelchair accessible! Read details in the news and spread the word. The ruling has a clear impact on New York City and hopefully will have a broad impact on future rulings across the U.S.</span>metuffer films, inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07429826362883974396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-52445820653008251502011-12-05T12:09:00.002-05:002011-12-05T12:27:11.457-05:00Latest News:<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">INVITATION TO DANCE has been awarded the </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Loreen Arbus Disability </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Awareness Grant.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">It will be </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">presented this Wednesday at the New York Women in Film and Television 31st Annual Muse Awards for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Vision and Achievement at the New York City Hilton.</span></div>metuffer films, inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07429826362883974396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-56098221179833708242011-09-22T13:51:00.002-04:002011-09-24T16:37:00.618-04:00SYRFILMFEST'11 WORK IN PROGRESS SCREENING<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvySKSni7SMbaPFCMBV5R0y0CS9ueXXYF7EFWNgRaZWTvDiTe2IG6t0pVAQHx22y2bh3b51tpjS8W5eut1n6ErM9uJz1Id_qaJ_fBvTPz9VShMfMndbC7mUUFTu-3o-LHBLMNwsxcEbI/s1600/ITD+Stills_88.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvySKSni7SMbaPFCMBV5R0y0CS9ueXXYF7EFWNgRaZWTvDiTe2IG6t0pVAQHx22y2bh3b51tpjS8W5eut1n6ErM9uJz1Id_qaJ_fBvTPz9VShMfMndbC7mUUFTu-3o-LHBLMNwsxcEbI/s320/ITD+Stills_88.JPG" width="240" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Optima;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING </span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Optima;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">and Q&A with the Filmmakers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: large;">Saturday, October 15th </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: large;">1:00pm – 3:00pm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Optima;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Syracuse University - </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Optima;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Watson Auditorium<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Optima;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">316 Waverly Avenue </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 17px;">After reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Body Politic</i>, filmmaker Christian von
Tippelskirch saw the potential for a film that would reveal the meaning of
disability in contemporary America.
Simi and Christian joined forces to create a feature-length documentary
that traces Simi’s life over the last 40 years: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">INVITATION TO DANCE</b>.
In 1971, Simi Linton was injured while hitchhiking to Washington to
protest the war in Vietnam. Suddenly a wheelchair-riding young college student,
she confronted forms of discrimination she couldn't have imagined before. She
joined forces with a vibrant disability community committed to “Equality,
justice, and a place on the dance floor!”
In time she realized that activism, sexuality and dance could once again
be central to her life.</span></div>
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metuffer films, inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07429826362883974396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732715936478669990.post-38450825203929975102011-01-25T15:56:00.001-05:002011-01-25T16:19:08.506-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5z5zpjmpqoM1ho-w_YIrmV5vSCKpcJudpGP3VGuxu7Q9ypbpmaGsiAhm7lcVDBusgZYidm46Pw-vbtVFOgndIjtO1erQBGJLNG753SpMjlG9KygC-9WKSRNjvq_E59bsFUH29Q-qyKRI/s1600/simi_smile2_demo_nyc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5z5zpjmpqoM1ho-w_YIrmV5vSCKpcJudpGP3VGuxu7Q9ypbpmaGsiAhm7lcVDBusgZYidm46Pw-vbtVFOgndIjtO1erQBGJLNG753SpMjlG9KygC-9WKSRNjvq_E59bsFUH29Q-qyKRI/s400/simi_smile2_demo_nyc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simi Linton's personal story forms the narrative backbone of <i>Invitation To Dance</i>, a film based on her memoir "My Body Politic." In 1971, Simi was injured while hitchhiking to Washington to protest the war in Vietnam. Suddenly a young disabled college student in New York, she confronts insidious discrimination she couldn't have imagined before. Simi emerges as a resourceful activist, and in time realizes that love, sexuality, and dance can once again be central to her life. </span>metuffer films, inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07429826362883974396noreply@blogger.com0