Bridgman|Packer Dance Streams Award-Winning Covid Inspired Piece

Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, Artistic Directors of Bridgman|Packer Dance, announce the release of their award-winning short dance film, Embrace in the Time of COVID-19, available for free viewing beginning December 17 at http://Embrace

Created during the first wave of the pandemic, Embrace in the Time of COVID-19 is a reflection on how, for so many people, human touch and embrace has been limited or absent during this intense and extended time of loss and isolation. The work explores the concept of virtual embrace and its relationship with the physical. Merging with each other's film images, Bridgman and Packer delve into the relationship of intimacy and distance while exploring the ephemeral, impermanent nature of existence. Bridgman|Packer's choreography, performance, direction, cinematography, and editing are enriched by the evocative music of composer/violist Martha Mooke.

This project was originally created as a part of 19 Acts of COVID-19 Bravery, a collection of digital, pay-per-view performance works curated by Brendan Drake and Kate Ladenheim, and was on their pay-to-view site from May through August, 2020. Since then, the film has been selected for several film festivals including Redwood Shorts and Scripts (Judges Special Mention Award), Best Global Shorts (Best Choreography Award), and Los Angeles Experimental Dance and Music Film Festival (Best Dance Film Award).

Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, Artistic Directors of Bridgman|Packer Dance, have collaborated as performers and choreographers since 1978. Their innovative work developing "Video Partnering" - the integration of live performance and video technology on stage - has been acclaimed for its highly visual and visceral alchemy of the live and the virtual. Embrace in the Time of COVID-19 is their second stand-alone film.

During the pandemic, Bridgman and Packer have also continued to develop their latest performance work Ghost Factory, which is inspired by the residents and vast deserted factories of Johnson City, an upstate NY town and former home of the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company. Ghost Factory asks the questions: what did these abandoned buildings witness, and what stories are held in their walls. The project has included interviews with over thirty people of all ages and backgrounds from Johnson City. Their stories are being woven into the soundscore of the performance as well as comprising an audio/visual installation presented in conjunction with the performances. Ghost Factory is scheduled to be presented by The Goodwill Theatre in Johnson City and on tour in the Midwest this spring/summer, pandemic permitting.

Bridgman and Packer received a 2017 New York Dance and Performance Award (The Bessies) for Outstanding Production for their work Voyeur at The Sheen Center. The 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to Bridgman and Packer was the first in the Foundation's history to be given to two individuals for their collaborative work. They are also recipients of twelve grants from the National Endowment for the Arts since 2007, as well as grants and fellowships from New York Foundation for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, National Dance Project, National Performance Network, USArtists International, Performing Americas Project, and La Red.

Based in New York City, they have been presented by City Center's Fall For Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, Baryshnikov Arts Center, the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival, The Sheen Center, Danspace Project, Performance Space 122, and Central Park's Summerstage. They have toured internationally, performing in festivals, art centers, and universities, including the Spoleto Festival USA, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Munich International Dance Festival, Beirut Spring Festival, and Kintetsu Theater (Osaka, Japan). For more information: www.bridgmanpacker.org.