Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, SansSouciFest.org
Sans Souci Virtual Screenings 2023
a series of screenings on our new website


 Connecting Continents - Sept 15 - Oct 15
 Shifting the Perspective - Oct 16 - Nov 5
 Nurturing Our Roots - Nov 6 - 26
 Documenting Our Times - Nov 27 - Dec 17

Connecting Continents - available Sept 15 - Oct 15

In Between, 2022, United States, 5 min

Directed by Anabella Lenzu
Produced by Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama
Choreography by Anabella Lenzu
Featuring
Music Composed by Todd Carroll, Lucio Lenzu-Carroll
Filmmaker: Todd Carroll
Script Editor by Daniel Pettrow
"In Between," a short film by Anabella Lenzu, exposes the inner dialogue of a woman in her roles as mother and artist. Lenzu shows the struggles, the desires, and the internal contradictions that make visible the vulnerability of the performer. "

Unimportant Things, 2022, Brazil, 11 min

Directed by Osmar Zampieri, Karina Almeida, Diogo Granato
Produced by Karina Almeida
Choreography by Karina Almeida, Diogo Granato
Featuring
From inertia to bush, from movement to love, everything that can be born from a ruin.

Play/Repeat, 2023, Estonia, 8 min

Directed by Carlos E. Lesmes
Produced by Carlos E. Lesmes, Alis Mäesalu
Choreography by Aarolin Raudva
Featuring
Dancing by Rea Lest, Carlos E. Lesmes
Music Composed by Tarun Madupu
Cinematography by Alis Mäesalu
Production Design by Kamilla Kase
There is a couple. Two bodies. Two beings. 1+1. Sometimes it feels like only one. This film piece wants to explore aspects of a relationship through movement, through the bodies of the performers. The unfathomable distance between two people. Broke but never broken.

Maracatu vs Passinho, 2022, Brazil, 3 min

Directed by Rodrigo Pépe, Priscila Paciência
Produced by Aline Alves
Choreography by Priscila Paciência
Featuring
Cinematography by Helder Tavares
In the videodance "Maracatu vs Passinho" we invited a Passinho dancer and a Caboclo de Lança to present some of their expressions in a friendly duel.

Saudade, 2023, Cuba / Portugal, 30 min

Directed by Sandra Cristina Pires Lopes, Sandra Ramy, Equis Alfonso Valdes, Inti Herrera
Produced by Inti Herrera, Reymel Delgado
Choreography by Sandra Ramy
Featuring FACinDance / Persona
Portugal & Cuba, two cultures separated by the ocean. The intimate relationship that each one maintains with the sea has been the link. This sea has made us look at each other. The relationship with the distant, the unattainable and with the earth, has returned us to a space of understanding of the human. This piece asks: What is recorded in the land of the one who leaves for the sea? What's left in which part of what leaves on the ground? What is Saudade?

Shifting the Perspective - available Oct 16 - Nov 5

The Sum of Our Dreams, 2022, Canada, 75 min

Directed by Jérémie Battaglia, Johanne Madore
Produced by Elodie Pollet
Choreography by Johanne Madore
Featuring
In the heart of a mystical forest, human beings are sleeping. Their minds are off dreaming of faraway lands, where their spirits can float light and giddy. A world both real and imaginary, "The Sum of our Dreams" presents an intimate experience that is graced with unique, heart-stopping skill.

Marie. Eduardo. Sophie, 2022, Canada, 3 min

Produced and Directed by Thomas Corriveau
Featuring
Dancing by Marie Mougeolle, Eduardo Ruiz Vergara, Sophie Corriveau
Music Composed by Guido Del Fabbro
An immersive diving into the movement of bodies and painting, with three magnificent performers of contemporary dance from Montreal, Marie Mougeolle, Eduardo Ruiz Vergara et Sophie Corriveau.

Awake at Night, 2022, United States, 2 min

Produced and Directed by Andrea Ward
Choreography by Andrea Ward
Featuring
"Awake at Night" is a passionate vocal and percussive song and video, inciting questions around what it means to be alive and truly awake. The elements of water and mirror create the sensation of being engulfed in the inner world, unbound across different realms of consciousness.

Breaking The Wave, 2023, United States, 3 min

Directed by Corydon Wagner
Produced by Julia Lewis, Meg Murthy
Choreography and Dancing by Raymond Pinto
Featuring Raymond Pinto
Cinematography by Axel Ebermann
Edited by Aaron Himelstein
AC by Kyle Taylor
A unique performance by Raymond Pinto.

Not Then, Not Yet (In Situ), 2023, United States, 11 min

Directed by Tiffany J Mills
Produced by Tiffany Mills Company
Choreography by Tiffany J Mills
Dancing by Tiffany J Mills, Angelica Negron, Muriel Louveau, Emily Pope, Nikolas Owens, Sarah McNutt, Nathaniel Hall, Pei-Chi Su, Theo Cote
Music Composed by Angelica Negron, Muriel Louveau
Vocalist by Muriel Louveau
These collaborators weave together dance, music, and film initially inspired by Mary Shelley and her writings during “The Year Without a Summer” (1816). Upheaval in Shelley’s personal life (trauma and loss) was echoed by severe 19th century climate abnormalities that tore at the land. The artists in Not then, not yet (in situ) now map external landscapes (trees, wind, dirt, and an off-kilter sculpture) with internal ones. They consider the simultaneous occurrence of shifting weather patterns caused by global climate change with one’s inner turmoil triggered by impermanence and ephemeral relationships. Negrón’s blend of electro-acoustics, classical instrumentation and found sounds, Louveau's wide vocal palette and singing in her own imaginary language, Mills’ attention to detail where a flung gesture and quickened reverberations are given equal importance to an extended leg, Cote’s keen eye for merging subject and locale, plus the dancers’ raw and unhinged movement, create a kinetically charged world that provokes.

Obstructed View, 2022, United States, 2 min

Produced and Directed by Mitchell Rose
Choreography by Bebe Miller
Featuring
When we can't see all, what we do see we see anew. Here, 70 women weave together a choreographic thread from Bebe Miller.

Shelf Life, 2023, United States, 4 min

Directed by Peter Litwinowicz
Featuring
Dancing by Dancers from Amy Seiwert's Imagery: Sarah Cecilia Bukowski, Brandon "Private" Freeman, Danielle Fu, Liang Fu, James Gilmer
Music Composed by Chopin
Music Performed by Garrick Ohlsson
Animator by Peter Litwinowicz
Set Decoration by Richard Robertson
Inspired by the whimsical fruit and vegetable portraits of Arcimboldo, "Shelf Life" is a magical look at what might be dancing in the corners of our homes.

(UN)Seen, 2022, India, 7 min

Directed by Anjana Ghonasgi, Pratik Iyer
Produced by Anjana Ghonasgi
Choreography by Anjana Ghonasgi
Featuring
Cinematography by Anshu
Sound Design by Hanosh Khan
Tethered between her own worlds of captivity and escapism, Maya finds herself. Our relationship with time will remain an unsolved mystery. Some days it is moving too fast, on some other days too slow but on most days it is passing by like clockwork. And TIME is the most manipulative when spent alone. This film reflects my journey with mental health. We are perpetually told to seek the light at the end of the tunnel, but nobody seems to know how. Is there even a light at the end? "(UN)seen" a dance-film by Anjana Ghonasgi, developed and executed at AuroApaar's Manifest dance film incubator 2022.

Dulaman (Seaweed), 2022, Ireland, 9 min

Directed by Aisling Ní Cheallaigh, Olga Kuzmenko
Choreography by Aisling Ni Cheallaigh
Featuring
Dancing by Aisling Ní Cheallaigh
Music Composed by Aoife Kavanagh
Those times when the world feels out of focus and you could just float away, like a piece of seaweed on the current. That open vastness that swallows everything in its wake and instills both terror and calm.

Nurturing Our Roots - available Nov 6 - 26

The Swan, My Mother and I, 2022, Brazil, 15 min

Directed by Andréia Nhur, Guilherme Telli
Produced by Paola Bertolini
Choreography by Andréia Nhur and Janice Vieira
Featuring Grupo Pró-Posição
Dancing by Andréia Nhur, Janice Vieira
This documentary blends the past of a dancer born and raised in the countryside of São Paulo-Brazil, and her present updated in the duets danced with her daughter, who is a dancer as well. The film transits between bucolic images of ruined landscapes and the stage, bringing a letter that is a familiar legacy, with instructions to dance the Russian choreography "The Dying Swan."

Gravity Wins, 2022, United States, 6 min

Directed by Heather Coker Hawkins
Choreography and Dancing by Heather Coker Hawkins
Featuring
Cinematography by William Hawkins
Collaborations can be fruitful, fitful, and sometimes both. The opponent or obstacle is sometimes internal. This dance for camera piece is an exploration of a lifelong collaboration (and constantly shifting relationship) with my dance partner, Gravity. Mostly predictable, not always kind, I accept the challenge to dance with you again.

Dreaming of You(th), 2023, United States, 5 min

Directed by Mike Woodall
Produced by Matthew Herbertz
Choreography by Stuart Lewis
Featuring
Dancing by Roberta Wong, Ramon Flowers, Gabriel Royal
Music Composed by Gabriel Royal
Cinematography by Joe Vella
Edited by Amelia Kramer
Executive Producer by Mike Woodall, Kevin Grazioli
Post Producer by Hannah Lindgren
"Dreaming of You(th)" puts a new twist on celebrating age through music and dance. While working on an art project and reminiscing about the past, an older woman gets lost in thought, and finds herself entranced by a familiar stranger.

Incontri - Gabriel Schmitz, 2022, Italy, 10 min

Directed by Chiara Becattini
Choreography by Elena Giannotti, Maiko Nishino, Christina Marti Ninot
Featuring
Gabriel Schmitz, a German artist deeply fascinated by dance and movement, is joined by three dancers in a series of performances in an ancient Venetian palace, during which art and movement intersect to create new meanings.

I Go Iŋdeepe/andence, 2023, Poland, 8 min

Directed by Dmytro Grynov, Daniela Komedera
Choreography by Dmytro Grynov & Daniela Komedera
Featuring
"I Go Iŋdeepe/andence" is a duet piece that raises the question of independence on a personal and global level and its impact on people. Starting from relevant political events in the cultural and social life of Poland and Ukraine, we examine phenomena of independence in these countries and how this issue affects local citizens. How much are people willing to pay for the independence of their country, for independence in decision-making and personal freedom? This performance represents a way to find harmony in boundaries and trust not only in yourself, but also in the closest people and local socio-cultural environment.

Impossible Image, 2023, Australia, 8 min

Directed by Karen Pearlman
Produced by Richard James Allen
Choreography by Karen Pearlman
Featuring The Physical TV Company
A product of France and Germany's International Screendance Production Residency initiative, Karen Pearlman's 'Impossible Image' remixes the anarchy and gender play of women of the 1920s, with the fury, irony, and sly humour of dancing women in the 2020s. Cutting together contemporary action and archival footage creates a montage of rage, hilarity and feminist protest echoing across 100 years. Inspired by the vibrant energy of the silent film era comediennes, and their rampaging disregard for order and expectations, this project combines archival footage and contemporary dance sequences to draw parallels between subversive forms of protest from our great-grandmothers to ourselves. The past and the present coming together to challenge gender performance and shake down the patriarchy, while dancing in the streets.

Fight The Fear, 2021, United States, 6 min

Directed by Shyamala Moorty
Choreography by Shyamala Moorty (choreographer/director)
Featuring
Dancing by Jazmin Alejos, Teresa Flores Segura
Music Composed by Neelamjit Dhillon
Cinematography by Gregory R.R. Crosby
In this experimental dance and spoken word short, a Dreamer confronts her fears of deportation. Set in a cemented river bed in Southern California, clusters of dancers push, drag, and carry each other in a dance of survival, while powerful spoken word and ethereal vocals call out the fears and hopes of those facing exclusionary migration laws. Created through collaboration and storytelling, this piece highlights the real struggles of the lead performers, while also celebrating their strength, and resilience. Working with Latinx stories and contemporary South Asian music and movement recognizes the intersections of the global South and the continuing challenges of migration, borders and belonging.

Moving With, 2022, United Kingdom, 8 min

Directed by Jonny Randall
Produced by Lucy Nicholson
Choreography by Lucy Nicholson
Featuring In Movement
Dancing by Lucy Nicholson, Benji Longbottom
"Moving With" is a short film to capture a precious moment in time between mother and son and their local landscape. A celebration of simple things: being together, moving together, listening and watching all we have on our doorstep. It aims to document dance artist Lucy Nicholson and her son, Benji’s, regular journeys out and about in their local village of Staveley, Lake District, Cumbria. They pack a bag and walk to their favourite spots and ask themselves, noticing…what can we hear?....what can we see?...how shall we move?… Mother and son dance together, responding to the accompaniment of their natural surroundings with a backdrop of the beautiful national park. We acknowledge the power and grace in stillness, slowness, gentleness, calmness – without challenge, target or adrenaline we love, appreciate, participate and experience our wonderful world. "Moving With" acts as an alternative perspective on how we can be with our children in our natural spaces, on what outdoor activity can look like and how the appreciation of our natural world can be nurtured.

La Solitude, 2022, Canada, 4 min

Directed by Ben Sellick
Choreography and Dancing by Jordyn Hubbs
Featuring
Music Composed by Ben Sellick
Filmmaker: Joan Dwiartanto
Small and big feelings about putting in a day's work.

HOME(in)STEAD, 2023, United States, 37 min

Directed by Megan Lowe, Johnny Huy Nguyễn
Produced by Megan Lowe, Johnny Huy Nguyễn, 500 Capp Street Foundation, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, Peggy Peralta, Kristina Willemse
Choreography by Megan Lowe and Johnny Huy Nguyen
Featuring
A site specific dance film that explores the meaning of home and sees it as an expansive space for everyday actions, imperfections, healing, and freedom. As 500 Capp Street Foundation's first ever performing artists-in-residence, Megan Lowe and Johnny Huy Nguyễn utilize San Francisco's historical David Ireland House as a visceral canvas for exploring means of feeling, finding, creating, and healing home through dynamic architecture-oriented movement and intimate contact partnering.

Documenting Our Times - Nov 27 - Dec 17

Moving Together, 2022, United States, 62 min

Directed by Maggie M. Bailey
Produced by Maggie M. Bailey, Arturo R. Jiménez, Ahsjah Exumé, Christiane Escobar
Choreography by Jesse Zaritt, Michelle N. Gibson, Olivia Chacón
Featuring
Music by Michael Wall, Thaddeus Ford, Isaí Chacón, Boss Street Brass Band
Edited by Maggie M. Bailey
"Moving Together" explores the relationship between music and dance, musicians and dancers, and the power of community through three specific lenses: Flamenco, Second Line, and Modern dance.

Dance of the Dakinis, 2023, United States, 28 min

Produced and Directed by Lindsay Gilmour
Choreography by NA
Featuring
This film focuses on the empowerment of female monastics and the innovation of gender roles in Vajrayana Buddhism. The film has two frameworks: an outer framework that focuses on rising status of Tibetan nuns in previously male dominated religious structures, and an inner framework that focuses on the inner state of the dancer. The film delves into how ancient rituals adapt in shifting political and cultural landscapes and how the roles of women evolve and develop in this framework.

Dancing Without Steps: The Art of Improvisation with Margaret Beals, 2022, United States, 25 min

Directed by Adriana Davis, Margaret Beals
Produced by Adriana Davis
Featuring Impulses Dance Theatre Arts Inc.
Dancing by Margaret Beals
Join acclaimed dance innovator, Margaret Beals, in her exploration of the art of improvisation. In this short documentary, Ms. Beals demonstrates the power and authenticity of improvisation as performance and also as a tool of discovery for any creative endeavor. Throughout “Dancing Without Steps” audiences are offered glimpses of Ms. Beals’ extensive career in improvisational dance. One of the first solo dancers to perform whole concerts without steps, she started her early career in the free-wheeling atmosphere of the 1960's club and cabaret scene and continued her pioneering journey through five more decades. In this film, Ms. Beals draws from various artists to give fuller context to her thoughts on improvisation. Keith Jarrett, renowned jazz pianist, reveals insights into his own creative process. The action paintings of Jackson Pollock and the powerful black and white abstractions of Franz Kline are used to further illustrate Ms. Beals’ ideas and techniques. Also included are brief excerpts from the works of the great modern dance choreographer Martha Graham and the celebrated dance/theatre choreographer Valerie Bettis. Meredith Monk, award-winning composer, singer and creator of music-theater-film works, gives an insightful introduction to this latest documentary from Impulses Dance Theatre Arts, Inc. The company's previous award-winning film, “Impulses” (1974) gave audiences their first experience of a collaborative concert featuring improvisational artists from the different fields of music, dance and theatre. "Dancing Without Steps" expresses the principles that animate Ms. Beals’ art while offering her experiences of improvisation to a new generation of dancers and artists from all disciplines. Meet the moment that is "Dancing Without Steps."

Danceable , 2022, United States, 22 min

Directed by Kelsey McGee
Produced by Joe Metcalf, Boson Wang
Featuring
Dancing by Lark Detweiler, JanpiStar, Marci Landeros
Three dancers with disabilities find freedom through movement.

No Rule is Our Rule, 2022, China / United States, 76 min

Produced and Directed by Eiko Otake, Hui Wen
Dancing by Eiko Otake, Hui Wen
Edited by Yiru Chen, Eiko Otake, Hui Wen
This is a story of friendship between two independent female artists and their body memories each willingly carry. In January 2020, New York based, interdisciplinary performing artist Eiko Otake arrived in Beijing to visit Wen Hui, a Chinese choreographer and filmmaker. Eight years apart, Eiko grew up in postwar Japan and Wen during the Cultural Revolution. They planned to visit each other for a month to converse and collaborate. The surge of COVID-19 abruptly cut off Eiko's visit and the pandemic has so far made Wen's visit to the USA impossible but not the collaboration. Looking back on the video diaries they shot without a script, Eiko and Wen continued their dialogue on Zoom, sharing past works that form a deeper understanding of their circumstantial differences and characteristic similarities. Chinese film director Yiru Chen, once Eiko’s student, joined the team as a co-editor.

Telephone, 2022, United States, 44 min

Directed by Krishna Washburn, Heather Shaw
Produced by Heather Shaw, Krishna Washburn
Choreography by Co-directors: Krishna Washburn and Heather Shaw (original phrase choreography by Heather Shaw, interpretations by all dancers and describers)
Featuring
Music Composed by Emil Bognar-Nasdor
Edited by Alex Romania
Sound Engineer by Ryan Woodhall
Activist screendance documentary celebrating audio description for dance which allows blind and visually impaired people to be included fully in the joy of artistic expression.

Vikinga, 2022, Argentina, 72 min

Directed by Silvina Szperling
Produced by Carolina Fernandez, Jorge Leandro Colás, Salamanca Cine
Choreography by Silvina Szperling, Marcela Suez, Deborah Kalmar, Alicia Tealdi, and dancers
Featuring
Dancing by Deborah Kalmar, Marcela Suez, Perla Jaritonsky, Alicia Tealdi, Carlos Gianni, Leslie Kalmar, Olga Nicosia, Gabriel Galíndez, MIranda Galíndez Bron
Crew by Aylén López, Álvaro Artero, Hernán Ruiz Navarrete
Local Producer Patagonia by Luz Rapoport
"Vikinga" dives into the artistic life of Patricia Stokoe, founder of Body Free Expression in Argentina. An evocative journey of her daughter Deborah and the director of the film begins, while they delve into childhood and youth memories at the studio and the theater. The experiences of these and other dancing women's bodies come together in Patagonia with the celebration of the legacy of their mentor.
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