Eye on Dance and the Arts

Contemporary dance history is brought to life in EYE ON DANCE & The Arts, a series praised by The New York Times as "one of the liveliest and most intelligent programs on the arts." Created in 1981 by Jeff Bush and Celia Ipiotis, EOD uses the artist's voice to frame dance within a cultural, historical and social context.

EYE ON DANCE ranks as one of the most extensive primary source archives on dance. The inviting format, solidly researched content and inclusive vision of dance seals EYE ON DANCE's popularity as an educational resource.

Based on an interview format, EYE ON DANCE revolves around a defining theme and combines stimulating, in-depth discussions with performance excerpts and other visuals. The program topics cut across the field from ballet to tap honoring emerging artists, forgotten heroes, and noted professionals. The guests reflect multi-ethnic backgrounds and aesthetics stretching from western to non-western art forms.

To date, there has been no comparable effort to record the viewpoints; achievements and creative approaches of dance related artists. More than 40% of the EOD Library includes African-American and Latino artists and themes not documented elsewhere. The strong concentration of programs focused on minority artists, dancers with AIDS and underdocumented contributors no longer living, underscores its historical and educational appeal.

These timeless tapes demonstrate multi-level educational applications in the classroom by integrating easily with other subject areas such as minority studies, anthropology, theater, music, history, etc. Furthermore, the content-rich EOD programs effectively supplement teachers' assignments and introduce instructors to specialized professionals and artistic resources.

On a broader scale, EYE ON DANCE is the most frequently requested and viewed video collection at the NY Public Library Dance Research Collection. Programs have been acquired by numerous libraries and incorporated in the curricula of university and college dance divisions, junior high, and high schools. In addition, EYE ON DANCE tapes are featured in humanities seminars, arts and education festivals and career conferences.

A production of the not-for-profit organization ARC Video, EYE ON DANCE is produced by its creators, Celia Ipiotis and Jeff Bush, and moderated by Ms. Ipiotis. The library is distributed by ARC Video.