Forward MotionTheater (Long Island City, NY)

Forward Motion Theater is a New York City-based dance-theater-media company founded in 1995 by choreographer Eric Dunlap and media artist Holly Daggers. Their mission is to explore movement and technology through original works combining physical performance and digital media.
Called "stunningly inventive" by Jennifer Dunning in The New York Times, this successful collaboration spawned full-length dance theater productions. Performances have also spilled out of the black box of dance theater into a spectrum of other media and venues, site-specific installations and events.
A non-profit arts organization with 501(c)3 status, FMT fosters collaboration and experimentation between artists by curating events, providing tech support and media services, and fiscal sponsorship. Current goals are to develop works and new venues for live theater and interdisciplinary performance including the EyeWash live-mix VJ series and FMT Studio Sessions where performance can be developed intimately with media art.

COLD from Forward MotionTheater on Vimeo.
Cold was created as a studio performance at FMT. The audience experienced the dance simultaneously on stage and in video. Slipping in and out of sync, the camera creates another perspective of the actions on stage, where movement has been time-shifted and altered, challenging the viewer's memory and perception of time.
Video artist Holly Daggers captured the dancers against bluescreen, divorcing the performers from their environment. The camera feed was processed with live effects and dynamic time sampling through a video buffer. Dancers Eric Dunlap and Rebekah Kennedy created a structured duet investigating themes of emotional distance, longing, and regret.

EyeWash from Forward MotionTheater on Vimeo.
Forward Motion Theater organized EyeWash as a showcase for VJs and live-mix video artists in New York City. The goal was to present the artist at the center of a concert performance, with gear and process in clear view of the audience. Originally only four nights were planned but EyeWash ran more than 6 years, monthly and bi-monthly, changing locations and formats and DJs, but always presenting four live audiovisual performances. Through EyeWash, FMT produced over 200 live visual artists and their collaborators in music, performance, and dance.
This video was compiled in 2004 and shows the incredible amount of creativity in the scene: Ben Neill, Bec Stupac, Missy Galore, Eniac..., the music is by Glomag. We had a lot of fun coming up with new ways to present the artists including VJ battles and bluescreen nights. The main locations shown are Freight and Remote Lounge and each location presented challenges.

Midlothian: Providence Art Windows from Forward MotionTheater on Vimeo.
Midlothian
music by Aerostatic
video by Forward Motion Theater based on footage by Terry Golob
Created for Providence Art Windows 2008

KGD Co improv from Forward MotionTheater on Vimeo.
video and movement improvisations at Forward Motion Theater with Eric Dunlap and dancers from Kim Gilbilisco Dance. recorded December 5, 2009

Blue Muse Dance - Lost & Found Maze of the Mind from Forward MotionTheater on Vimeo.
Lost & Found...The Maze of the Mind
Blue Muse Dance
choreography - Mayuna Shimizu in collaboration with Maiko Matsui & Hitomi Nozawa
video - Kyoungin Jung & Hyunsuk Kim
sound - Peter Lew
presented at Re:Vision Ritual • Myth • Legend
March 24, 2010
produced by Forward Motion Theater
forwardmotiontheater.org/tag/revision/