MIAMI HISPANIC BALLET & AMERICAN AIRLINES
presents
Dance on Camera as part of
XII International Ballet Festival of Miami 2007

Artistic Director: Pedro Pablo Pena

August 29th – September 16th

Video program curated by Karen Couty

SERGE LIFAR MUSAGETE
Dominique Delouche, France, 2005, 88m
Produced by Les Films du Prieuré, this documentary is a tribute to the lasting legacy of the French-Russian dancer/choreographer Serge Lifar (1905-1988) who carried on the Diaghilev tradition of the Ballets Russes, developed a strong presence for male dancers, and who employed renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Leonnide Massine, and Frederick Ashton. In his autobiography, Lifar coyly stated that "dance is my mistress." Filmmaker Dominique Delouche known for singling out the essential gifts of ballet legends, offers footage of Serge Lifar, Yvette Chauviré, Nina Vyroubova, Jean Babilée, Isabelle Guerin, Monique Loudieres, Manuel Legris, Janine Charrat, Marcia Haydée, and the dancers of Paris National Opera.

OPIUM
Miles Lowry and David Ferguson, Canada, 2006, 24m
Suddenly Dance Theatre’s narrative is inspired by a three month episode in the life of the French artist Jean Cocteau (1889-1963). Originally written as a visual poem for the stage by Canadian author Miles Lowry, OPIUM imagines Cocteau’s harrowing stay at a clinic near Paris in 1929, where he hoped for a cure for his addiction to opium. Grania Litwin of the Times-Colonist wrote that OPIUM is “a tight, clever, troubling, moody and intense dance drama that starts out looking like a Masterpiece Theatre, but soon moves into new territory”. Produced in association with Bravo! Canada, a division of CHUM Limited; in collaboration with ARTV.

BABEL
Peter Sparling, USA, 2005, 7:22m
A former member of Martha Graham Dance Company returns in a solo that would only be possible on screen. Mirroring the voices in Arvo Part’s score, he reveals four physical personalities. He transcends boundaries of gender and character while charting a man’s struggle to embody his own metamorphosis.

DIDO AND AENEAS
Barbara Willis Sweete, Canada, 1995, 55m
An adaptation by choreographer Mark Morris and his Mark Morris Dance Group, of the Henry Purcell baroque opera. Dido, the noble queen of Carthage has fallen in love the the Trojan prince, Aeneas. While the court celebrates the imminent union of the two monarchs, the evil sorceress with her coven of witches, plots their downfall. Romance leads to heartbreak and tragedy.

ONE FLAT THING, REPRODUCED
Thierry de Mey, France, 2006, 26m
William Forsythe carved a formidable career in Europe with infrequent returns to NYC. His collaboration with Thierry de Mey, acclaimed for his screen adaptations of works by Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker, brings us insights into his ingenious choreography. Thierry de Mey follows a formal strategy to capture “the play of triggers, moments of waiting, visual and sonic cues, and to follow the conducting voices of Forsythe’s choreographic melodic montage and contrasting mounting rhythms that penetrates inside the playing space." Distributed by MK2 www.mk2-catalogue.com

GEORGIANS IN MARYINSKI
Zurab Inashvili, Georgia, 2003, 47m
Manana Kvachadze produced this documentary rich with information, interviews and archival footage. A treat for ballet lovers with background on George Balanchine, Vakhtang Chabukiani, and others. Produced with the help of the Historical Cultural Foundation.

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For more details, visit www.miamihispanicballet.com/

This program was made possible through DFA's touring program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the members of DFA, and the Susan Braun Trust. To become a member of DFA, visit here; to beome a touring partner, see the Touring Partnership Page

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