# Susan Braun

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**Susan Braun** (July 24, 1916 – October 3, 1995) was an American arts administrator, filmmaker and archivist.[1] She founded the [Dance Films Association](/source/Dance_Films_Association) (DFA) in New York City.[2] Braun later also launched the annual Dance on Camera Festival.[3]

## Early life and education

Braun was born in New York City to Alfred and Georgina (Ballin) Braun on 24 July 1916.[4] She trained first as a visual artist, studying illustration at [Parsons School of Design](/source/Parsons_School_of_Design) and painting at the [Art Students League of New York](/source/Art_Students_League_of_New_York) before turning decisively to dance.[5][6] Between 1949 and 1953 she studied the [Isadora Duncan](/source/Isadora_Duncan) technique with [Anita Zahn](/source/Anita_Zahn).[7][6]

## Career

Braun joined as a volunteer programme assistant at the [Museum of Modern Art](/source/Museum_of_Modern_Art)’s circulating film library. Frustrated by the scarcity of dance titles, she began personally tracking down prints, borrowing a 16 mm projector and showing films to dancers and students in loft spaces across Manhattan.[6] These informal screenings encouraged her to incorporate Dance Films Association in 1959 as a non-profit “clearing-house” for choreographers, educators and scholars.[8][2]

In 1971, Braun inaugurated the *Dance on Camera Festival*, first at the [American Museum of Natural History](/source/American_Museum_of_Natural_History), then at the [New York Public Library](/source/New_York_Public_Library)’s Donnell Media Center and, from 1996, in partnership with [Film at Lincoln Center](/source/Film_at_Lincoln_Center).[9][10]

Braun managed DFA single-handedly, programming, fundraising and even tearing tickets, until her health declined in the early 1990s. Upon her death on 3 October 1995, she bequeathed a US$500,000 trust to sustain the organisation.[11]

## Honors

DFA created the Susan Braun Award in 1996, presented annually to artists whose work advances dance film; the first recipient was filmmaker-choreographer [Yvonne Rainer](/source/Yvonne_Rainer).[5]

## References

1. ["Notices"](https://online.ucpress.edu/afterimage/article-pdf/17/3/22/704168/aft.1989.17.3.22.pdf). *Afterimage*. **17** (3): 22. 1989. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. ["Dance Film Comes of Age"](https://dancersgroup.org/2007/07/dance-film-comes-of-age/). *Dancers' Group*. July 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. Peters, Jen (8 February 2022). ["The Dance on Camera Festival Celebrates 50 Years"](https://dancemagazine.com/tag/dance-films-association/). *Dance Magazine*. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. ["Deaths Elsewhere: Susan Braun, Dance Archivist"](https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/403659958/). *The Atlanta Constitution*. 6 October 1995. p. 82. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. Towers, Deirdre (22 February 2022). ["Impressions and Asks: 50 Years of Dance Film"](https://www.dance-enthusiast.com/features/view/2860/). *The Dance Enthusiast*. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/braun-susan](https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/braun-susan)

1. ["Interviews with Antal Dorati and Susan Braun"](https://qa-discovery.nypl.org/research/research-catalog/bib/b13233799). *New York Public Library Research Catalog*. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. ["Dance On: Susan Braun"](https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S93C4674644). *San Francisco Public Library*. 1989. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. Zimmer, Elizabeth (27 December 2005). ["Dance on Camera Festival 2006"](https://web.archive.org/web/20251021215449/https://www.villagevoice.com/dance-on-camera-festival-2006/). *The Village Voice*. Archived from [the original](https://www.villagevoice.com/dance-on-camera-festival-2006/) on October 21, 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

1. Zimmer, Elizabeth (January 2004). ["The Artificial Eye"](https://www.villagevoice.com/the-artificial-eye/). *The Village Voice*. Retrieved 31 May 2025.[dead link]

1. Looseleaf, Victoria (15 July 2021). ["49th Dance on Camera Festival Offers In-Person and Virtual Programming"](https://www.ladancechronicle.com/49th-dance-on-camera-festival-2021-offers-in-person-and-virtual-programming-july-16-18-2021/). *LA Dance Chronicle*. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

## External links

- [Dance Films Association](https://www.dancefilms.org/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Braun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Braun) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Braun?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.