Program 1: Ballet Retrospective
SPARTACUS
Vadim Derbenev and Yuri Grivorovich, Russia, 1975; 94m
SPARTACUS, the recently restored 1975 ballet film based on Yuri
Grigorovich’s staging for the Bolshoi Ballet, stars Vladimir Vasilyev, Natalya Bessmertnova who just passed away in February 2008, Maris Liepa as Crassus and Nina Timofeeva as Aegina, each dancer a renowned star of the famed Bolshoi Ballet at the time. This ballet-drama is a Soviet-Era vision of the much depicted uprising by Roman slaves, a grand cinematic spectacle set to ascore by Aram Khachaturian. Watch Vasiliev
Preceeded by
REVELRY (“Dancing Song”)
Zlatko Bourek, Croatia, 1966; 9m
Amusing animated short.
Program 2: 4 Cine dances/1 documentary
HORIZON OF EXILE
Isabel Rocamora, United Kingdom/Spain, 2007; 22m
A journey of two women across timeless desert landscapes is punctuated by
voice testimonies of Iraqi exiles. Set to a soundtrack by Jivan Gasparyan with the hypnotic voice of Surma Hamid, an Iraqi exile now living in London, the bodies betray a serene violence, travelling as though released from
consciousness or gravity, falling and recuperating, haunted by anirrepressible past. Camila Valenzuela, one of the protaganists, spoke on January 2nd.
PINA BAUSCH
Anne Linsel, Germany, 2006; 44m
Before choreographer Pina Bausch and her Tanz-theater Wuppertal were known around the world, her new, unusual and original body language was ill-received. In the early days the audience (and most critics) were irritated and confused.Tumultuous scenes in the audience were not unusual. Pina Bausch speaks about the beginnings of the Tanztheater and the inescapable path she felt she had to follow. She talks about rehearsals, her pieces (more than 30 by now), her co-productionswith other cities and countries and being on tour. Some of her dancers, the set designer Peter Pabst and the costume designer Marion Cito, all of whom have been with Pina Bausch for decades, talk about working with her.
Shot in Venice at the Teatro Fenice, in Lisbon and Brussels, and in Wuppertal with the support of WDR Cologne, and Arte France.
LIFEFORCE #3
Lene Boel, Denmark, 2007; 10.5m
A hooded man discovers an environment of tunnels and machinery. An
invisible force gradually takes control of his body pulling him through
industrial spaces deep into a cave. Funded in part by The Danish Arts Council. Introduced by the director
FRAGMENTATION
Suzon Fuks, Australia, 2007; 5.8m
Two guys, James Cunningham, Rob Tannion, absorbed in their morning paper
and their personal space, manage to find a disjointed connection with one
another.
FLYING LESSON – Winner of the 2008 Jury Prize
Phil Harder, Rosanne Chamecki, Andrea Lerner, USA, 2007; 4’37m
A sweet sail one foot above Brooklyn, accomplished by Rosanne Chamecki and Andrea Lerner who are old friends from their native Brazili. Introduced by the artists
Program 4: Cine dance
FANTASTIC FLOWER SHOP
Pawel Partyka, Denmark/Poland, 2001; 15m
Inspired by the story, puppets and design of Frances Osterflet, with
animation by Krzysztof Brzozowski and Adam Wyrwas, this award winningshort should inspire fashion designers as well as story tellers. Set in a
flower shop at closing time, wires spin out from their spools to become
small characters who pluck petals to adorn themselves and dance the night
away, primarily to a Latin beat. Introduced by the director
LIFE FORCE #1
Lene Boel, Denmark, 2007; 14m
A proud inventor enjoys conducting and bringing to life the machines inhis power station. He gets carried away by the music in a pair of headphones and the room becomes his partner in a passionate and humorous dance. At the end of the day he returns to his house in the sky. Introduced by the director
HERE AFTER Nominated for the Jury Prize
Wim Vandekeybus, Belgium, 2007; 65m
Through flashbacks, Here After tells the story of an isolated community in
which a power-mad tyrant commands an infanticide. In the danced scenes wesee how the characters relive their memories in the here-after; as if
their emotions and traumas were captured in the memory of their bodies.
The film shows terror and its destroying effect on a community and
questions existential themes such as life/death, culpability/penance,
identity/memory, regret/negation and power/freedom.
Program 3: Documentary
FELIA DOUBROVKSA REMEMBERED
Virginia Brooks, USA, 2008; 37m
Born in 1896 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Felia Doubrovska spent 33 years
first as a student at the Imperial Ballet School and then as a famous
ballerina. After her retirement from the stage she devoted nearly the same
span of time to teaching at the School of American Ballet. This film
provides an affectionate memorial and a tribute to an artist who made a
great contribution to preserving the ballet tradition as she participatedin the training of many of the women of the
New York City Ballet,
the instruments of George Balanchine’s choreographic genius.
Introduced by the director. Maria Calegari will be part of the Q&A on the Jan.5th screening. Allegra Kent will attend as well.
SLEEPING BALLERINA
Ludovic Kennedy, United Kingdom, 1959; 29m
Made at Anton Dolin’s instigation by the BBC, SLEEPING BALLERINA looks atthe career of Olga Spessivtzeva (1895-1991), the Aurora of Diaghilev’s
1921 production of ‘The Sleeping Princess’. Spessivtzeva was considered to be one of the most promising dancer of her generation but her career was abruptly interrupted by the mental illness. As legend has it, she lost her memory on-stage performing the mad scene in “Giselle.” The film includes footage of a rehearsal of “Giselle,” Act 1. In 1940 she was taken to the psychiatric hospital where she remained for 22 years. A special thank you to The Jerome Robbins DanceDivision, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, for their assistance.