Would you like to get close up to a life-sized dancing ghost? Or star in your very own dance show before seeing it appear on the web?

You can do all this and more at Dance For Camera, Brighton's tenth annual screen dance festival.

To celebrate ten years of producing and curating dance for film, South East Dance is presenting three days of screenings, discussions, forums and installations over the weekend.

"Brighton is a hotbed of screen dance activity," explains spokeswoman Vicky Bloor. "So many artists who make this work live in this city.

"The films you will see screened in Dance For Camera are not films of live dance, they are dances that only exist on film.

"Screen dance artists fuse dance and film to create something distinct and beautiful. You could have a leaping dancer suspended in time for a couple of seconds. You could use reverse to make everything go backwards, or impose narratives or digital effects to tell a story.

" The beauty of screen dance is that it encompasses such a broad range of art forms from installations to narrative shorts."

This year's festival is designed to appeal to seasoned "dance for camera connoisseurs" as well as newcomers to screen dance.

Where Is All The Dancing? is a programme of nine short films curated by South East Dance from festivals around the world. The programme starts with three exhilarating dance films and ends with films where the dancing may be less apparent.

"The final film is by Steve Paxton, an innovative American choreographer who just stands still for one minute," says Vicky. "The film is about everything else that is going on around him. In my opinion, it's a great film because it questions what is dance."

Meanwhile Dance for Camera focusses on the seminal filmmaker and pioneer of screen dance, Maya Deren. In the Mirror of Maya Deren charts her life from her early films through to her untimely death.

Other highlights include a documentary exploring the groundbreaking dance phenomenon, Clowning and Krumping, exploding onto the streets of Los Angeles.

The film Rize brings to light this revolutionary form of artistic expression born from oppression.

Vicky says: "This dancing is aggressive and visually stunning. It features moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and mind-blowing athletic movement sped up to impossible speeds. For the dancers, it becomes a vital part of who they are." Among the other treats in store are two free interactive installations suitable for all ages.

The Move-me Booth is your chance to star in your own dance show created by leading choreographers including Rafael Bonachela, Nigel Charnock, Jonzi D, Shobana Jeyasingh, New Art Club, Deborah Hay, Stephen Petronio and Kirstie Simson. Step inside the Move-me Booth and follow the instructions. Rehearse and record your performance and then watch yourself on the web.

If that all sounds a bit too scary, check out the UK premiere of In The Flesh (see sidebar). Wearing 3D glasses, you meet a dancer. She appears to be actually there - but is your mind playing tricks on you?

Dance for Camera is part of Cinecity 2007. For more information, visit www.cine-city.co.uk

  • Lighthouse Digital Lounge, Kensington Street, Brighton
  • Sallis Benney Theatre, Unversity of Brighton, Grand Parade, Brighton
  • The Basement, Kensington Street, Brighton