CU Presents: [Un] W.R.A.P.: Dance Cinema

Irey Theater directions

Theatre and Dance Building, 1595 Pleasant St., University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

Friday-Sunday, September 22-24, 2017

Show times are listed below. There are two programs and each is presented twice.

Each of the two programs (A and B) include installations, film screenings, live multimedia performance, a discussion panel with dance filmmakers from the field. Each program is repeated twice. Arrive early to enjoy the installations.

Read the article, CU Theatre & Dance season opens with dance-themed film festival, in Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine, University of Colorado Boulder, 8/22/17.

Read the article, Dance cinema has all the moves at CU for the weekend - Sans Souci and [UN]W.R.A.P. festivals join forces to promote art form, by A.H. Goldstein in the Boulder Camera, 9/22/17.

Buy tickets from CU Presents.

[Un] W.R.A.P.: Dance Cinema Programs

Program A Installations: Opens Friday evening at 7:00 and Sunday afternoon at 1:30
Program A Screenings: Friday evening at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00
Program B Installations: Opens Saturday afternoon at 1:30 and Saturday evening at 7:00
Program B Screenings: Saturday afternoon at 2:00 and Saturday evening at 7:30

Friday Evening & Sunday Matinee Screenings (Program A)

Father’s Day/Free Land in KS, 2017, USA, 5 min

Directed by Joy French

Choreography and Dancing by Joy French

Sound Design by John Sporman

An interdisciplinary performance piece about the story of fading rural townships and misplaced family lore.

View the trailer.

Wake, 2016, Canada, 6 min

Directed by Katherine Macnaughton

Produced by Emmanuel Hessler

Choreography by Ashley Werhun

Dancing by Ashley Werhun, Mark Caserta, Jeremy Coachman, Gemma Freitas, Kiera Hill

Music Composed by De La Romance

Cinematography by Derek Branscombe

Edited by Katherine Macnaughton

Wake is a reflection on the isolation that technology can create. It is an invitation to reconnect and rebuild our relationships with the people and elements around us.

Separate Sentences, 2016, United States, 15 min

Produced and Directed by Amie Dowling, Austin Forbord

Choreography by Amie Dowling

Music Composed by Albert Mathias

Music Performed by Albert Mathais

Cinematography by Heath Orchard

Edited by Austin Forbord

Incarceration is not a single or discrete event, but a dynamic process that unfolds over time and affects families for generations. This dance/theater film draws upon individual experiences and physical memories of a cast comprised of Bay Area artists– some of whom are fathers or sons who have experienced incarceration. See below for a special note from the directors.

re: to resolve, 2017, United States, 4 min

Directed by Olivia Dwyer

Choreography and Dancing by Olivia Dwyer

Music Composed by Compiled by Olivia Dwyer

Cinematography by Satchel Spencer

Edited by Olivia Dwyer

Exploring fear, doubt, and hesitation through visceral imagery, flashes of light, and a quickening of tempo, this film attempts to unveil the reality of artistry, life, and body memory.

View the trailer.

Stopgap in Stop Motion, 2016, United Kingdom, 5 min

Produced and Directed by Stephen Featherstone

Choreography by Lucy Bennett

Featuring Stopgap Dance Company

Dancing by Amy Butler, Laura Jones, Nadenh Poan, Chris Pavia, Hannah Sampson, David Toole, David Willdridge, Tomos Young

Music by Dougie Evans

Filmmaker: Stephen Featherstone

Performers in disabled and non-disabled dance company "Stopgap" move in and out of photos and across tabletops until the whole company meet and perform in unison.

Intermission, 15 min

Snack Time. Enjoy the video installations in the theater and the lobby.

Panel Discussion, 15 min

Panel discussion on dance cinema. Moderators and panelists to be announced.

SEE | OBEY, 2015, Finland, 15 min

Directed by Jouka Valkama

Produced by Susanna Leinonen Company, Anniina Rantamäki

Choreography by Susanna Leinonen

Featuring Susanna Leinonen Company

Dancing by Pekka Louhio, Raija Ojala, Helga Valkama, Natasha Lommi, Eero Vesterinen, Sanni Giordani, Elina Häyrynen, Aksinja Lommi

Music by Kasperi Laine

Filmmaker: Jouka Valkama

Simultaneously, three different narratives about human emotions, every day events, and conflicts are portrayed by physical expression and movement. Time is manipulated by cinematic means, and the film uses several professional dancers as well as almost a hundred volunteers.

Women in Cities, 2017, United States, 2 min

Choreography by Rosie Trump

Featuring Rosie Trump | With or Without Dance

Dancing by Christina Carter, Abrie Parrish, Shelby Wilburn

Music Composed by Kosta T

Cinematography by Trisha French

Edited by Rosie Trump

Three women navigate internal and external pressures in this a short stop motion dance film which assembles over two thousand still images. Kinetic snapshots of twisting, hinging, and flinging are interrupted by micro-arrests generating a passive tension between the women. Referencing visual artist Robert Longo’s Men in Cities series, and manifesting the implied movement in its images.

View the video.

Chimera, 2016, France, 2 min

Directed by Steven Briand

Produced by Vast Be Mess

Choreography by Cathy Ematchoua

Featuring Cathy Ematchoua

Dancing by Aliaska HILSUM, Leonore ZURFLUH, Hajiba FAHMY, Dalila Cortes.

Music by Phazz

Cinematography by Kaname Onoyama

Edited by Nadir Cassim

Inspired by Greek mythology, the Chimera features acrobatic dance performances and highly aesthetic kaleidoscopic movements.

COLD STORAGE, 2016, Finland, 9 min

Directed by Thomas Freundlich

Produced by Lumikinos Production Oy

Choreography by Thomas Freundlich

Dancing by Valtteri Raekallio, Eero Vesterinen

Music by Kimmo Pohjonen

Cinematography by Thomas Freundlich

Edited by Jukka Nykänen

Cold Storage is a short dance film that pays homage to the virtuosic physical performances and melancholy comedy of the classic silent screen. On a desolate arctic shore, a lonely fisherman discovers his prehistoric counterpart frozen in the ice, and thaws him out as his newfound soul brother.

Saturday Matinee & Evening Screenings (Program B)

photo by Jessica Beer

Wild-er-ness, 2017, United States, 10 min

Directed by Ana Baer, Heike Salzer

Produced by WECreateProductions

Choreography by Heike Salzer, Michelle Nance

Featuring WECreateProductions

Dancing by Heike Salzer/Michelle Nance

Music by Richard Hall

Cinematography by Ana Baer

Edited by Ana Baer, Heike Salzer

Inspired by the lushness of the North Yorkshire Moors, "Wild-er-ness” is a blend of site specific and site adaptive material, intimately woven into a multidisciplinary performance in the intersection of dance, video, music and fashion design.

Dear Good Son, 2017, Israel, 4 min

Directed by Or Meir Schraiebr, Omri Drumlevich

Produced by Achsheli Productions

Choreography by Or Schraiber & Mario Bermudez-Gil

Featuring Dancers from the Bat-Sheva Dance Company

Dancing by Or Schraiber, Mario Bermudez-Gil

Music Composed by Danny Sanderson, Yonatan Daskal & Nimrod Bar.

Music Performed by 'Kaveret', Yonatan Daskal and Nimrod Bar

Cinematography by Omri Drumlevich

Edited by Achsheli Productions

In a small house in an unknown forest sleeps a lonely lady, shut up in her room....

View the trailer.

SONDER, 2016, Romania, 12 min

Directed by Simona Deaconescu

Produced by Anamaria Antoci

Choreography by Simona Deaconescu

Featuring Tangaj Dance

Dancing by Diana Spiridon, Galea Bobeicu, Răzvan Stoian, Simona Dabija, Denis Bolborea

Cinematography by Tudor Panduru

Edited by Alex Gheorghe

A visual abstract poetry of the human being confronted with nature, the machine and himself.

photo by John Hunter

We Shall Trip The Light Fantastic, 2017, United Kingdom, 3 min

Directed by Lucy Cash

Choreography by Florence Peake

Dancing by Daliah Toure

Music Composed by Fraya Thomsen

Music Performed by Rob Szeliga, Cameron Maxwell

Cinematography by Ole Bratt Birkeland

Edited by Lucy Cash

The film appropriates choreographic elements from nine decades of popular dance to form and collage them onto a single body in visceral and unexpected ways.

TAKE YOUR TIME, 2017, United States, 5 min

Directed by Max Sachar, Natasha Adorlee Johnson

Choreography by Natasha Adorlee Johnson

Featuring Concept o4

Dancing by Natasha Adorlee Johnson and Dalmacio Payomo

Music by Lender

Filmmaker: Max Sachar

Obstacles can sometimes pull us apart, but they can also create a force that binds us. This is the framework for this dream-like collaboration between Bay Area based indie rock band Lender, director/choreographer Natasha Adorlee Johnson, Concept o4 dancers, and Max Sachar, a feature film animation manager at Pixar. A single 5-minute choreographed shot, played backwards, follows a duet as they navigate complex obstacles and spaces.

Intermission, 15 min

Snack Time. Enjoy the video installations in the theater and the lobby.

Panel Discussion, 15 min

Panel discussion on dance cinema. Moderators and panelists to be announced.

GIMP GAIT, 2016, United States, 5 min

Directed by Pioneer Winter, Tabatha Mudra

Produced by Pioneer Winter

Choreography by Pioneer Winter

Featuring Pioneer Winter Collective

Dancing by Marjorie Burnett and Pioneer Winter

Music Composed by soundForMovement, Abi-Li-ty, the performers

Cinematography by Tabatha Mudra and Jacqueline Romano

Edited by Jacqueline Romano

A solo for two - surrogates to one another - that explores of the subjects' private and public lives - how the perspective of the viewer may attempt to control or shape another. The title of this work discloses its origin: 'gimp,' a slur meant to mark a weak or handicapped person and 'gait,' the manner or style of a person's walk. The subjects do not hide these from you - do you have a good view? Can you notice every part of their bodies - both the similarities and differences? This is Marjorie, and she wants you to witness her. This is Pioneer, and he is performing Marjorie's power.

Beloved, 2016, United States, 9 min

Directed by Joy French

Produced by Bare Bait Dance

Choreography by Nicole Bradley Browning

Featuring Bare Bait Dance

Dancing by Joy French

Music Composed by John Sporman

Music Performed by Lee Rizzo

Cinematography by Kier Atherton

Edited by Joy French

The path one woman takes to find her power.

View the trailer.

Amuse, 2016, Netherlands, 6 min

Directed by Ivo van Aart

Produced by Rob IJpelaar

Choreography by Jonne Covers

Dancing by Inbal Abir, Yeli Beurskens, Anna Fransen, Nina Funk, Julia Heider, Sophie Jetten, Minke Tettero & Heleen van der West

Music Composed by Jeffrey van Rossum

Cinematography by Floris Verweij

Edited by Ivo van Aart

A large restaurant, full of people who are having a good time. They're chatting and paying attention to each other. At least, that's what it seems...

JONAH, 2016, United States, 5 min

Directed by Andrew Michael Ellis

Produced by Andrew Michael Ellis, Ernest Felton Baker

Choreography and Dancing by Ernest Felton Baker

Music by Christopher Marianetti

Cinematography by Andrew Michael Ellis

Edited by Ben Stamper

Interviewee by Charlie Smith

Interviewer by Elmer Sparks

JONAH is a meditative documentary using dance to explore and personify a curious interview with a former African American slave. Interpreting a historical interview through a modern exploratory dance, the documentary asks questions about the inheritance of trauma, and our capacity to regenerate.

COLD STORAGE, 2016, Finland, 9 min

Directed by Thomas Freundlich

Produced by Lumikinos Production Oy

Choreography by Thomas Freundlich

Dancing by Valtteri Raekallio, Eero Vesterinen

Music by Kimmo Pohjonen

Cinematography by Thomas Freundlich

Edited by Jukka Nykänen

Friday Evening & Sunday Matinee Installations (Program A)

Since The Silence, 2016, Canada, 10 min

Directed by Thomas Corriveau

Choreography and Dancing by Sophie Corriveau

Featuring Danse-Cité

Music by Michel F Côté

Cinematography by Thomas Corriveau

Edited by Catherine Béliveau

In 2011, Sophie Corriveau, contemporary dancer for more than twenty-five years, created a solo performance at the Agora de La Dance (Montreal) entitled "Jusqu’au silence," and iterating her commitment to find her own voice through gesture, form and construction. As part of this collaborative project, her brother, Thomas Corriveau, a well-known multidisciplinary contemporary artist, created animated images that were projected during the performance, like infinite reflections of Sophie’s virtual self. Five years later, Thomas Corriveau now combines some of his own animation with footage from the original show to create a singular film, Depuis le silence, a continuation of the initial performance with a new fragmented storyline. The film is part of the artist’s pictorial research, which focuses on deconstructing images, multiplying points of view, and jostling perceptual habits in an effort to reiterate the fundamental role time and movement play into our concept of vision.

Frame from Some Stories Are True That Never Happened

Some Stories Are True That Never Happened, 2016, United States, 6 min

Directed by Renata Sheppard

Produced by Cristiana Candellero & Lucia Carolina De Rienzo

Choreography by Renata Sheppard

Featuring Experimental Film Virginia, Coordinamento di Danza Piemonte, Casa Marziano

Dancing by Gabrielle Agretti, young boy and over 30 guest appearances of professional dancers and leaders in the community of Torino, Italy

Music Composed by Vivaldi

Music Performed by Gabrielle Agretti

Cinematography by Dario Orlando, Dario Armao

Edited by Paolo Favaro

Inspired by historical accounts of magic in the city of Turin, Italy, this short film plays inside abandoned spaces, dreams and possible futures imagined by a young boy. Invited by the distant sound of a cello, he navigates a series of rooms, meeting iconic figures and everyday people. His connection to the characters and spaces is both a puzzle, and the point.

View the trailer.

WOMB, 2016, Switzerland, 32 min

Directed by Gilles Jobin

Produced by Cie Gilles Jobin

Choreography by Gilles Jobin

Featuring Cie Gilles Jobin - Geneva

Dancing by Susana Panadés Diaz, Martin Roehrich, Gilles Jobin

Music by Franz Treichler

Cinematography by Patrick Tresch

Edited by Viktor Cette

Swiss choreographer Gilles Jobin invited a number of leading contemporary artists to join him on this innovative adventure: Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury, the Belgian costume designer Jean-Paul Lespagnard, and Franz Treichler, frontman of the internationally acclaimed Swiss rock band The Young Gods. WOMB is a short film which marries stereoscopic images, dance, visual art and music, and features only one perspective: an existential tracking shot, an abstract analogy of life’s journey that draws on the depth of space and the volume of bodies to trigger a contemplative and emotional response. The project is supported by Pro Helvetia as part of its “Digital Culture” programme.

View the trailer.

may I ? remix#, 2017, Portugal, 4 min

Produced and Directed by Vasco Diogo

Choreography and Dancing by vasco diogo

Music by vasco diogo

Filmmaker: vasco diogo

may I ? remix# is the second version of may I dance ?, a video performance/video dance work based on the digital manipulation of non choreographic movements by the performer. Vasco Diogo works on the fragmentaion of the body in its relation to screen space and performance space. An audio-tactile and synaesthetic experience is created for the viewer, shifting emotional responses through a sense of presence that blurs a video art installation pace with cinematic experimental tecnhiques. Hip-hop, noise, pop and orchestral highlights are used to increase both a humorous and a melodramatic approach.

photo by stills from film sent by Charlotte Gregory

Nu Body, 2016, United Kingdom, 9 min

Directed by Sonia Sabri

Produced by Charlotte Gregory

Choreography by Sonia Sabri

Featuring Sonia Sabri Company

Dancing by Sonia Sabri - Dancer/Choreographer/Artistic Director

Music by Sarvar Sabri

Filmmaker: Mat Beckett - River Rea Films

Director of Photography by Mat Beckett

A dynamic and compelling exploration of female experience across boundaries of cultures and time, representing the ongoing search for female emancipation. The film questions what the symbols and traditions of female life, from Eastern cultures in particular, mean in the modern day. The female experience is brought from the shadows to centre stage in a journey of self-discovery, exploring the light vs dark and the real vs fairytale versions of female existence. Sabri’s unique ‘Urban Kathak’ language looks at female body image -- and in particular women’s complex relationships with their own bodies -- teasing the audience with perceptions and misconceptions of the female.

Enter Face, 2016, United States, 3 min

Directed by Clare Schweitzer

Choreography by Clare Schweitzer, Johanna Merceron

Featuring Clare Schweitzer/Lake Studios Berlin

Dancing by Johanna Merceron

Music by Clare Schweitzer

Filmmaker: Clare Schweitzer

This film is the product of research into the histories and constructions of the body as it goes further into an age where people willingly submit their lives to a network of screens. It aims to explore new conceptions of lived reality and altered means of communication that result.

Saturday Matinee & Evening Installations (Program B)

View the trailer.

Plow Plant Reap, 2015, United States, 13 min

Directed by Marta Renzi

Produced by Slippery Rock University

Choreography by Marta Renzi

Featuring Marta Renzi & The Project Co.

Dancing by Kaila Belinda, Katelyn Hanes, Emilie Klinger, Maddison Manolis, Michelle Russ, Michelle Slavik, Chalice Streitman, Monica Traggiai, Samm Wesler

Music Composed by Andy Teirstein; Dan Romer & Ben Zeitlen

Cinematography by Jennifer Keller

Edited by Marta Renzi

An all-female community comes together, joins in a baptism and a roundelay, all against a majestic landscape of rolling farmland. Arriving and leaving like sun and shadow, Plant Plow Reap celebrates the joy and order that culminate in harvest. With hints of Appalachian Spring and Amish custom, Plant Plow Reap is shot at the historic Miller Farm in Butler County, Pennsylvania and danced by eleven members of the Slippery Rock University dance department.

View the trailer.

Syncretic Noise, 2016, United States, 4 min

Directed by Stephen Bullen

Choreography and Dancing by Jeff Salisbury

Music by Stephen Bullen

Filmmaker: Stephen Bullen

Defying conventional logic and storytelling, layered soundscapes and symbolic visuals fuel the dark atmosphere as a man dances, secluded from a city at battle with itself. In a hyper society portrayed by time-lapses, the dancer's natural motion continues across cuts through discontinuities of space-- from forest landscapes to gritty urban life.

Black Out, 2017, Switzerland, 17 min

Directed by Philippe Saire

Choreography by Philippe Saire

Featuring Cie Philippe Saire

Dancing by Philippe Chosson, Maëlle Desclaux, Benjamin Kahn

Music by Stéphane Vecchione

Cinematography by Philippe Saire

Edited by Bastien Genoux

Gaslight (Three sections), 1017, United States, 16 min

Directed by Mimi Garrard

Choreography by Mimi Garrard

Featuring Mimi Garrard Dance Co.

Dancing by Marcus Jarell Willis

Music by Jonathan Melville Pratt

Filmmaker: Mimi Garrard

"Gaslight" is a videodance in three sections, reflecting on the U.S. presidential election of 2016.