Dance Camera West Announces
Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long
Free Outdoor Film Screening
Produced in Association with LAFF & Grand Performances
With Salsa Lessons & Shadow Casting by CONTRA-TIEMPO
At California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles
Friday, June 22, 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 21, 2012 – Dance Camera West, in association with Grand Performances and the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), presents the Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long at California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday, June 22, 2012 at 7:45pm.  In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Dirty Dancing, this free event will feature a pre-show salsa lesson led by members of the Los Angeles urban Latin dance troupe CONTRA-TIEMPO, followed by a screening of the classic coming of age tale, widely considered one of the best dance films of all time.  Simultaneously onstage, CONTRA-TIEMPO will also act as a “shadow cast” during the film’s key dance sequences.  This pre-festival event ushers in the 11th annual Dance Camera West Dance Media Film Festival, which takes place from Thursday, June 28 to Saturday, June 30, 2012 in Los Angeles at LACMA and the Hammer Museum. For additional information on Dance Camera West, see www.dancecamerawest.org.

Special guests will create additional fun and the audience is invited to take an active part in the nostalgic romance and sultry dancing of this classic film. Event-goers are encouraged to come in costume… think pedal pushers, floaty dresses, leather jackets and, of course, dancing shoes!  Those dressed in their 60’s best will be awarded tickets to the Los Angeles Film Festival.  California Plaza, the home site of Grand Performances, is part of the Grand Avenue Cultural Corridor just blocks from Disney Hall and home to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The California Plaza parking garage is accessible on Olive Street, between 1st and 4th streets (351 S. Olive Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071; 213-687-2159; grandperformances.org/directions.html). Parking for events is $7.50 after 5:00pm (cash only).

“Come have the time of your life and Dance-A-Long to this romantic classic,” says Tonia Barber, Dance Camera West Executive Director.

Dirty Dancing “Time of My Life” video

Dirty Dancing –
(USA, 1987, 100 mins.)
Directed By: Emile Ardolino
Executive Producers: Mitchell Cannold, Steven Reuther
Producer: Linda Gottlieb
Screenwriter: Eleanor Bergstein
Cinematographer: Jeff Jur
Editor: Peter C. Frank
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach

While spending the summer of 1963 at a Catskill resort with her affluent family, 17-year-old ‘Baby’ (Jennifer Grey) falls in love with the camp dance teacher, Johnny (Patrick Swayze), part of the working-class staff.  One night, Baby pokes her head into a party going on in the employee dorm to discover the hotel staff engaging in a sweaty session of dirty dancing.  Intrigued by the scene, as well as Johnny, she discovers a new world and gets private lessons.  Onscreen, Swayze and Grey spar, fall in love and, of course, perform the climatic lift near the end of the film.  The film features an unforgettable soundtrack of 1960’s classics and ’80s hits. This coming of age tale is a guilty pleasure par excellence.

Baby (Jennifer Grey) falls in love with the camp dance teacher, Johnny (Patrick Swayze) in Dirty Dancing

Contra-Tiempo –
CONTRA-TIEMPO is a nonprofit, Los Angeles-based, activist dance company founded and directed by Ana Maria Alvarez. Bringing to life voices not traditionally heard on the concert stage, the Company fuses salsa, Afro-Cuban, contemporary urban and abstract dance theater, to create an invigorating blend of physically intense and politically astute performance. Its members, professional dancers and artists, are also immigrants, teachers, activists, organizers and movers of all types living and working in Los Angeles.  www.contra-tiempo.org

Los Angeles Film Festival –
Now in its eighteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival, supported by L.A. LIVE and the Los Angeles Times, is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.  The Festival features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, Music Events and more.  Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos. Nearly 200 features, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, make up the main body of the Festival.  The Festival is produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards.  www.LAFilmFest.com

Grand Performances –
Grand Performances (GP), Los Angeles’ premier free outdoor summer performing arts presenter, is known for providing Angelenos with an eclectic mix of high quality performing arts by world-renowned artists across genres. With programming reflective of the many cultural interests of people across the region, GP hosts America’s most diverse audience. All are welcome to enjoy GP’s unique, awe-inspiring venue nestled under the spectacular Downtown skyline. Grand Performances is a 501(c)(3) located on Bunker Hill. For more information, please call 213-687-2190 or visit www.grandperformances.org.

Dance Camera West –
Dance Camera West (DCW) is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering and promoting the vibrant art of dance media from around the world. Founded in 2001, DCW connects diverse cultures and environments through its exploration of dance on screen, and has brought over 1,000 challenging and provocative films to Los Angeles from around the globe, effectively bridging the gap between the uniquely influential Los Angeles film community and the significant local dance populace. The organization is unique in its artistic purpose, as no other organization in Los Angeles offers audience exposure to such a diverse range of work by international dance companies. DCW also strives to create a broader and more engaged audience for dance and dance media by merging both performance and cinematic aesthetics. DCW is one of only a handful of organizations in the world that present the thought-provoking adventure of dance media.  Known as one of the world’s premiere presenters of dance media, Dance Camera West aspires to awaken and infuse the public mainstream with critical creative programming. The 11th annual Dance Camera West Dance Media Film Festival takes place the following weekend from Thursday, June 28 to Saturday, June 30, 2012 in Los Angeles. www.dancecamerawest.org

For more information, press passes, photos, or to interview DCW’s director Tonia Barber, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.