Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, SansSouciFest.org
Sans Souci Virtual Screenings 2024
a series of screenings on our new website


 Connecting Continents - Sept 15 - Oct 15
 Shifting the Perspective - Oct 16 - Oct 29
 Nurturing Our Roots - Oct 30 - Nov 12
 Documenting Our Times - Nov 13-26
 Thriving through Experience - Nov 27 - Dec 10

Connecting Continents - available Sept 15 - Oct 15

The Inner Scene, 2023, Uruguay, 33 min

Directed by Gabriel Bendahan
Produced by Laura Gutman
Dancing by Andrea Arobba
Written by Andrea Arobba, Gabriel Bendahan
An artist shares her personal process through which she creates a dance solo. By exploring her values and techniques, she also reveals how the most intimate chapters of her life experiences have left an indelible mark in her work. Along a deep, heartfelt journey, she will also invite each one of us to find an expression that may allow us to explore and reveal our own inner worlds.

Encuentro Triunfante, 2024, Argentina and United States, 3 min

Directed by Juliet McMains
Choreography and Dancing by Ricardo Andrés Baigorria
Music by Hernán Reinaudo
Guitarist Hernán Reinaudo plays an original composition based on the rhythms of triunfo (which means triumph in Spanish), a genre of folklore that was born during the battles of independence against Spain. Today the dance is no longer practiced, but the triunfo continues to live as a musical tradition. Dancer Ricardo Andrés Biagorria draws on his expertise in malambo and other folklore dances to play with and reinvent the rhythms of triunfo through unconventional gestures. Set in a small room decorated with symbols of the previous century, this twenty-first century encounter validates the interdependence of historical tradition and contemporary innovation.

Miguel, 2023, Switzerland and Spain, 12 min

Directed by Susana Panadés Díaz
Produced by Cie Jozsef Trefeli
Featuring Susana Panadés Díaz
Dancing by Manoli Díaz Sanchez, Rocio Díaz Sanchez, Encarna Díaz Sanchez, Ivan Llanes Díaz, Yolanda Herrera Díaz, Cristian Ponce Labrador, Cinti Llanes Díaz
Music by Camilo de Martino
Cinematography by Erika Irmler
Edited by Erika Irmler, Susana Panadés Díaz
Sound Recording by Erika Irmler
"Miguel" is a short film that explores the subliminal interaction between a body and its environment, highlighting the influence of collective history on the subconscious. The film, named after Susana Panadés' grandfather, an Andalusian veteran of the Spanish Civil War, embarks on a journey through the landscapes of his life, his wounds and his legacy. Panadés uses her presence as a catalyst, guiding us through various locations that somehow hold reminders of the past. This is an exploration of memory and its role in shaping our perception of the present. In this introspective journey, the film underscores the relentless force of nature despite the weight of history, offering a reflection on the enduring impact of the past on our present experiences.

Prima: Elisa Carrillo Cabrera, 2023, Germany, 10 min

Directed by Veronika Pokoptceva
Produced by Veronika Pokoptceva, Mikhail Kaniskin
Dancing by Elis Carrillo Cabrera
Music Composed by Rafael Prado, Alexey Kochetkov
Cinematography by Jan Boroewitsch, Athena Carmazzi
Edited by Veronika Pokoptceva, Tom Gregory Janson
Sound by Rafael Prado, Effy Cerutti, Benjamin Zappi-Giannotti
Thousands of hours of exhausting work for three minutes of fame. One day in the life of Elisa Carrillo Cabrera, principal dancer of the Staatsballett Berlin. From early morning, strenuous training and rehearsals fill her day. She has to be even better than yesterday, despite pain and fatigue, to go on the stage in the evening and be a Prima.

Shifting the Perspective - available Oct 16 - Oct 29

Cycle, 2024, United Kingdom, 5 min

Produced and Directed by Lea Anderson, Tasou Palisidou
Dancing by Lea Anderson
Using movement, sound and architecture, this film explores the cycle of life – birth, death and rebirth. The female figure is the symbol of unification, she represents the unity and wholeness of life on Earth.

Flow. Flux. Frame., 2023, Poland, 10 min

Directed by Izabela Wiktoria Nykiel, Adrianna Metryka
Produced by Adrianna Metryka, Izabela Wiktoria Nykiel
Dancing by Adrianna Metryka, Izabela Wiktoria Nykiel
Music by Anna Niestatek
Cinematography by Jan Wikarski
Edited by Adrianna Metryka, Izabela Wiktoria Nykiel
Artistic Supervision by Izabella Gustowska, Izabela Sitarska
Co-Production by Experimental Film Intermedia Department Magdalena Abakanowicz Un
A contemporary interpretation of the city symphony genre created in the early 20th century. "Flow. Flux. Frame." presents choreographies inspired by the everyday experience of the city - a complex organism, living with its own rhythm. It touches on the theme of the loneliness of the individual in the face of collectivity and breaking out of the usual urban movement patterns.

I Need A Fix, 2023, France, 7 min

Directed by Romain Winkler, Alban Richard
Produced by Alban Richard
Choreography by Alban Richard
Dancing by Anthony Barreri, Mélanie Cholet, Max Fossati, Romual Kabore, Alice Lada, Adrien Martins, Clémentine Maubon, Arnaud Rebotini, Asha Thomas, Sakiko Oishi
Music Composed by Arnaud Rebotini
Cinematography by Nicolas Bordier
Edited by Romain Winkler
Costumes by Clément Vachelard
Videogram produced from the music of Alban Richard’s choreographic show, Fix Me, composed by Arnaud Rebotini. 10 performers call out to the audience one at a time in a frontal and direct manner. The camera gaze is penetrating and almost permanent. but the 10 performers remain silent. Instead of words, techno music settles in crescendo as the performers try to convince us using their bodies as an extensive language of persuasion.

The Way We..., 2024, France, 5 min

Produced and Directed by Julienne Doko, Kyrie Oda
Dancing by Julienne Doko, Kyrie Oda
Music Performed by Tarang Cissokho, Jinya Imai
Cinematography by Lamine PI Amadou Sow, Helouri Portail
Edited by Julienne Doko
Costumes by Seydouna Sow
Language and body language are the intricate threads that weave our identities. They unravel our stories, revealing the depths of our past and the essence of our being. "The Way We…" delves into this tapestry, unraveling not only our individual identities but also the legacies we carry forward. Through language, both spoken and unspoken, we inherit cultural nuances, values, and emotions. It's not just communication; it's a transmission of heritage and connection. Each word uttered, each gesture made, forms bridges between souls, carrying the weight of our experiences and the warmth of our shared humanity.

Void Id, 2019, United States, 5 min

Directed by Tanja London, Camila Magrane
Produced by CounterPulse, Kinetech Arts, Zero 1
Choreography and Dancing by Tanja London
Music by qualia-c
Filmmaker: Camila Magrane
What lies beyond space and time ...

Death & Other Disguises (for Valda), 2023, United States, 10 min

Directed by Marta Renzi
Dancing by Yvonne Rainer, David Hamilton Thomson, Arthur Aviles, Marta Renzi
In what ends up as a tribute to a departed colleague, Eagle, Rabbit, Horse and Pig improvise solos that fall somewhere between impersonation and meditation. Yvonne Rainer, Marta Renzi, David Thomson and Arthur Aviles lend their personalities, masked, to a sequence of events that refer to each other, performance art, el mundo de Oz, life and death. Richly odd. Weirdly touching.

Birdhaus, 2023, United Kingdom, 7 min

Directed by Camila Serrano
Dancing by Chan "Maggie" Tin Lok, Jon Rodd
Music Composed by Bartosz Szafrański
Costumes by Florence Meredith
Birdwatching is the best way to connect with nature in the city. What can we learn from nature but also, what is the natural world learning from us? Combining the aesthetics of the Bauhaus art movement and nature mockumentary, this quirky film questions who is watching who.

Shadow Self, 2023, United States, 5 min

Directed by Heather Coker Hawkins
Choreography and Dancing by Heather Coker Hawkins
She climbs the mountain to forget but finds that her body cannot help but remember. This film is a frank depiction of loss and the desire to heal completely. She resorts to ritual rumination in the form of physical activity and expectant gazing toward the expansive skyline. Time knows better.

Moutya Lapoud, 2024, Seychelles, 7 min

Produced and Directed by Steve Woods
Choreography and Dancing by Denis Rose
Cinematography by Sophie Perolari
Today a heroin addict wakes up to face another day of slavery to his addiction. Far from the sunny beaches of the Seychelles he begs in a laneway at the bus station. The Moutya was a secret dance that the slaves in Seychelles danced. Today there is a new slavery in Seychelles, Lapoud… heroin. Here in Moutya Lapoud is another secret dance.

Sameness: Magnificence, 2023, United States, 10 min

Produced and Directed by Alana Waksman
Choreography and Dancing by Jacqueline Cousineau
Music Composed by Logan Stahley
Cinematography by B. Rubén Mendoza
Scenography by Kate Fry
One woman: two worlds. How do they collide? A woman is stuck in a claustrophobic sameness. She is magnificently present. She finds her strength in the softness of air and light. It is between the push and pull of the two worlds that she can become herself.

Nurturing Our Roots - available Oct 30 - Nov 12

Armea, 2024, Fiji, 20 min

Directed by Letila Mitchell
Produced by Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector
Edited by Sauli Pillay
Executive Production by Tracy Rector
Co-Executive Production by Hindou Ibrahim, Yo-Yo Ma, Cristina Mittermeier, Kiliii Yuyan
“If you listen to nature, it will lead the way…” Elder Gagaj Taimanav Steeped in symbolism and no larger than a child’s hand, the diminutive bird known as the Armea is found in only one place on Earth: the Pacific island of Rotuma. After scores of performances around the world and years away from Rotuma, "Armea" opens as the dedicated dancers and musicians of Rako Pasefika make their long awaited return home to the island. Arriving by air yet received just as their seafaring predecessors were, the Rako team engages with creative elders in the hopes of revitalizing ancient stories that are in danger of being forgotten. As Rako prepares to perform a new production inspired by the totemic Armea, their relationships with elders, knowledge keepers, healers, artisans and cultural custodians reveal deep and reciprocal connections to this ancient land and to the immense ocean from which it rises. Both an offering to those who have guided the way — such as the hån lep he rua sacred women — and a promise to sustain sacred artforms for generations to come, "Armea" is an ode to all that is small yet sacred.

Siren, 2023, Netherlands, 7 min

Directed by Scott Fowler
Produced by Scott Fowler, Boston Gallacher
Dancing by Boston Gallacher
Scenography by Mattia Papp
Lighting Design by Surimu Fukushi
"Siren" is a short experimental dance film, utilising contemporary dance to explore the non-binary/trans experience. "Siren" is a short story of a curse. In every gaze met, the cursed sees the onlookers most private secrets. The pupil transforms into a darkened well, burgeoning from the subconscious. Our central figure finds themself in the familiar situation of being seen by a crowd, where they are confronted with their unorthodox reaction to fear. Gorging on the hidden lives of many and riding the high of their nervous system, the heightened state of danger blooms into ecstasy, disgust and rage. What happens when instead of following our instinctual reaction to fear, we yield to it? What happens when we know things we shouldn’t?

Matan, 2022, Israel, 5 min

Directed by Roni Uzan
Choreography and Dancing by Roni Uzan
Music Composed by Verlatour, Awir Leon
Edited by Yaara Nirel
A video dance that is bound to be beyond words and definitions. The wonder of creation grows inside us. Two parts are connected as one, experiencing a lifelong apart eagerly waiting for the wondrous encounter. A celebration of the body and empowerment of the soul mixed with overwhelming emotions. A video telling my story about the gift I received named Matan.

Brothers in Arms, in Spirit, in Nature, 2023, France, 8 min

Directed by Abigail Teresa Yeates
Dancing by Pablo Fraile Ruiz, Wout Deneyer, Merri Heikkilä, Michele de Riu
Brothers, in arms, in nature, in spirit is a contemporary circus film about a bunch of young and unruly brothers frolicking about in nature. Immersing contemporary circus skills, dance and humour set in the countryside. The concept was influenced by the 1870 book Seven Brothers by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi.

Upside Down, 2024, Canada and Iran, 14 min

Produced and Directed by Alireza Keymanesh
Dancing by Alireza Keymanesh, Sophia Hassenstein, Kourosh Mohammadi, Emily Law, Soroush Karimi Nejad, Lagha Ghavam, Maryam Farahi
Music Composed by Vessels to Motherland,
Production Assistant by Houshyar Ghasimi
"Dance as a revolutionary act against the criminalization of the human body by the authoritarian Islamic Republic of Iran." This experimental docu-dance film uses a collage technique to combine three distinctive layers of footage together. The first layer consists of documentary shots extracted from social media concerning the Iranian "Women's Life Freedom" protest in 2022 and the "Green Movement" protest in 2009. The second layer contains archival footage from the director's underground dance class in Iran. The third layer are dance shots exclusively captured for this movie. As a result of interweaving these three imagery veils, this film attempts to deconstruct the conventional notion of dance-films which are more often based on the idea of joy and entertainment, and instead sees dance as a form of resistance, sheds a light on a history of oppression on the human body in Iran and serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggles for freedom and human rights.

White Flag, 2016, United States, 3 min

Directed by Laura Malpass
Dancing by Keith Haynes, Leah Woods
A rumination on change, time, and relationship.

You Are Also Us, 2024, United Kingdom, 15 min

Directed by Cathy Waller
Produced by Cathy Waller Company
Choreography by Cathy Waller and the dancers
Dancing by Deepraj Singh, Devon Nelson, Imogen Wright, Jordan Caldwell-Smith, Maiya Leeke, Margherita Mattia, Sam Reeves, Sarah Golding & Yukiko Masui (Dance Captain)
Cinematography by James Williams
Executive Production by Emma Kerr
Company Manager by Kylie Sullivan
"You are also Us" is a powerful exploration of the complex and multifaceted experience of invisibility. The film explores the themes of pain, joy, power, connection and resignation that come with the struggle to hide certain parts of ourselves from this world. Through a nuanced and empathetic lens, the film examines the toll that keeping ourselves hidden can take, while also acknowledging the sense of protection and control that invisibility can provide. The work challenges the boundaries of what we are willing to share, inviting the audience to see, feel, and hear the profound impact of this experience. Starting as the Director's self exploration around invisible disability, over 400 people contributed to the research in finding what invisibility means to us all. Translated through striking movement and composition, this work is filmed on drones in stunning National Trust locations in Dorset, UK.

What Continues to Be, 2023, United States, 10 min

Directed by Virginia Broyles
Produced by Virginia Broyles, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, TWIG Media Lab
The founders of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and those that contributed to it's evolution, look back at what was, and what is to come. Celebrating the 60th anniversary this year, the company's mission of "Dance is for Everybody" remains core to its creative spirit and it's commitment to outreach and education. Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is an American contemporary dance company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, founded in 1964. Ririe-Woodbury strives to raise the standards, deepen the understanding and promote personal connections with dance.

Documenting Our Times - available Nov 13-26

Breaking Form, 2023, United States, 58 min

Directed by Alexandra Nikolchev
Produced by Jane Comfort, Leslie Cuyjet, Sean Donovan
Featuring Jane Comfort
Music Composed by Heather Christian
Edited by Bara Jichova Tyson
A maverick of New York City’s downtown dance scene, choreographer Jane Comfort has been known for her issue-oriented works integrating text and movement since the late 1970s. “Breaking Form” explores a creatively rich and unexamined chapter in New York City dance through the transformation of Comfort from polite Southern transplant into a prolific performer celebrated worldwide for her bold political satire and irreverent social commentary. This film invites its viewers to be inspired by an artist who defies expectations and whose creative work calls on her audience to engage in the social injustice issues of the day.

Kindred Spirits, 2023, Hong Kong, 32 min

Directed by Andreas Gabriel Guzman
Produced by Lamy Li
Featuring American Ballet Theatre Studio Company and Hong Kong Ballet
Cinematography by Darren Tan
Edited by Justin Ho
Executive Production by Elaine Forsgate Marden
Sound Design by Sung Lai
Consisting of some of the most promising and talented dancers in their age group in the world, the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company performed in Hong Kong for one evening only, but their journey was all but easy. Faced with tight rehearsal schedules, copious events, and last-minute casting changes triggered by unexpected health crises, the dancers persevere over these challenges, ensuring that the show will go on no matter what.

(Re)Brilliancy : Caring for Nurses as They Care for Others , 2024, United States, 60 min

Directed by Drummond West
Produced by Tara Rynders
(Re)Brilliancy follows The Art and Heart of Healthcare facilitators as they create movement based workshops for over 400 Kaiser Permanente nurses in Northern California. It offers an inside look into what our nurses are holding post COVID and how dance, art, poetry, and music are creating spaces of healing and hope.

Dance for An Ideal City, 2023, Italy, 27 min

Directed by Daniele Costa
Produced by Lisa Rebellato
Dancing by Gigi Cristoforetti, Costanza Meli, Angela Vettese, Gian Maria Tosatti, Angelin Preljocaj, Nadja Argyropolou
Written by Nicolas Ballario
The docufilm Dance for An Ideal City is a project which tells the different ways of experiencing dance in public places and through different languages, developed in Athens, Brussels, Rome and Reggio Emilia.A video-story, signed by director Daniele Costa and written by art critic Nicolas Ballario, which focuses on the possibility of reinterpreting urban places through contemporary dance, especially with the MicroDanze project by Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto (one of the most prestigious contemporary dance companies in Italy and the first and only Italian National Choreographic Centre), through interviews with artists and curators (including choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, art historian Angela Vettese, visual-artist Gian Maria Tosatti, art curators Nadja Argyropolou and Costanza Meli and FND/Aterballetto director Gigi Cristoforetti). These small danced fragments, performed by both the company’s dancers and amateur dancers, bring out a landscape of infinite variables and the design of a movement that takes place in a conceptual environment, which can therefore be used in a non-traditional way. For more: https://www.fndaterballetto.it/en/dance-for-an-ideal-city

F3VER, 2024, United States, 15 min

Directed by Irishia Hubbard Romaine
Choreography by Andrew 3D Dance Fever Jones
Music Composed by Dylan Romaine
Edited by Angel Castro, Irishia Hubbard Romaine
Executive Production by Kelly Hargraves
Movement Direction by Irishia Hubbard Romaine
"F3VER" follows the journey of Andrew "3D Dance Fever" Jones, a native of Bakersfield, CA, who defies societal expectations as a street dancer, high school substance abuse counselor, and globally recognized dance fitness instructor. As Andrew navigates the challenges of his hometown, he discovers the power of dance as a transformative tool, using its rhythms to overcome personal adversity and inspire others. Through movement-based scenes and heartfelt moments of reflection, the film shines a light on Andrew's resilience and showcases the universal language of dance as a means of healing, self-expression, and empowerment.

Thriving through Experience - available Nov 27 - Dec 10

Moss Time, Crip Time, 2024, United States, 14 min

Directed by Cynthia Ling Lee
Choreography and Dancing by Cynthia Ling Lee
Music Composed by Anna Friz
Videography, Edit, and Graphics by Chisato Hughes
Costume Design and Construction by Pamela Rodríguez-Montero
Reveling in micro-movement and lingering in moss-time, this dance film embodies gratitude to moss as beloved teacher of lessons in crip survival and thriving: celebrate smallness. Practice patience. Grow only when there is enough resource. Nestle in the warmth and safety of the boundary layer. Survive in the most unexpected places. Contains experimental audio description and open captions.

Crip/Mad Archive Dances , 2024, United States, 35 min

Produced and Directed by Petra Kuppers
How do disabled and mad people survive, dance, insert their differences in a world full of stigma? How do we live through bodymindspirit experiences of alienation and pain? This experimental documentary charts disability culture archives and embodied gestures of survival and creative expression. It draws on community with human and non-human others: media clips as performance gifts, archival footage from dance archives, environmental embedment and grounding in trees, water, desert and lakes. Together, we dance, and spring our binds. Please note: This experimental documentary shares instances of medical incarceration including insulin violence. It offers survivor testimonies of artful and agency-full reclamation. The documentary uses 'crip' and 'mad' as in-group signifiers, aware of stigma and histories. We hope you will take up our movement invitations and that we can enrich our living disability and mad archives together A full audio-description track is available HERE.

Waiting for the Bus, 2023, USA, 7 min

Directed by Beth Graczyk
Produced by Beth Graczyk Productions, Hilary & Robert Headlee Family
Dancing by Michael Wolfe
Music Composed by Aaron Gabriel
Edited by Hanne Vaughn
Written by Michael Wolfe
A short which features Michael Wolfe who identifies as "a black, queer performance artist with autism" offers insight into his daily life and inner world through movement, text, and song.

All of Us, 2023, United States, 7 min

Directed by Charlotte Griffin
Produced by Charlotte Griffin, Johanna Witherby, MiRi Park
Music Composed by Milica Paranosic
Cyclical lyricism illuminates the collective experience of “alone, together” that occurred during prolonged COVID isolation in milkleaf’s newest experimental short, "All of Us." Framed, disrupted, and propelled by improviser Corey Scott-Gilbert dancing with the powerful narration of the late and beloved Gus Solomons jr, this film features romantic partners, roommates, family members, and duets dancing "at home" amongst accumulating domestic objects. Highlighting movers across identities, "All of Us" offers a look into coexistence within a common screen space, transforming repetition into a parable of the human experience.
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