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Content Is King As Dance, Filmmaking Collide At Dance Camera West's 14th Annual Dance Media Festival

Jennifer Madison, CBS Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — New media's influence on dance has led to a spectacular creative push from choreographers and filmmakers.

But breathtaking images, imaginative movement and meticulous dance technicians aren't necessarily enough to impress curators.

The director of Dance Camera West says the arts nonprofit organization received as many as 400 submissions for this year's 14th Annual Dance Media Festival in Los Angeles.

Of those, 30 films will be screened during this week's six-day event, which concludes Tuesday with "Dancing for My Havana," about a group of young Cuban dancers.

According to DCW Executive Director Tonia Barber, the growing accessibility of high-quality video has prompted her board to more strongly consider storytelling during the selection process, rather than simply stunning photography.

"Now everyone has their phone. Any camera they buy can shoot beautiful video, so you have to go back to the content," she said during a phone interview before presenting Friday evening's shorts program.

Instead, it was those who evoked guttural reactions from Barber and her screening committee whose pieces maneuvered into the elite group showcased through next week. Even, she says, when narrative was not the focal point.

"There are also films that may not tell a story, but they generate such an emotional response it makes me want to get up and dance," she explained.

This year's festival is being presented at a number of venues in Beverly Hills (UTA Screening Room), downtown Los Angeles (MOCA, historic Palace Theatre, REDCAT), Hollywood (historic Egyptian Theatre), Santa Monica (Aero Theatre) and Westwood (Crest Theater, UCLA).

A full schedule and additional information is available on the DCW website.

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