Opening Night! World Premiere!

This insightful documentary, executive produced by Jay Alix and Harold Ramis and produced by Una Jackman and Erica Mann Ramis, examines the life and times of America’s premiere ballet company—The Joffrey Ballet—who daringly combined traditional ballet and modern dance at a time when it was not routinely accepted.

Centerpiece film! Director Susan Seidelman in person for Q&A!

Musical Chairs is a romantic tale of two New Yorkers, Armando (EJ Bonilla) from the Bronx, and Mia (Leah Pipes) from the Upper East Side, who come together through their love of ballroom dancing. When a tragic accident puts Mia in a wheelchair, Armando, along with a group of colorful misfits at the rehab center, dedicates himself to helping Mia dance again by introducing her to the world of competitive wheelchair ballroom dancing.

Introductions by director Ina Sotirova, producer Sally Sommer, and the dancers.

This long awaited documentary produced by Sally Sommer, brings to light the House dance culture that has largely been in the dark. The film includes underground footage culled from the past thirty years, with focuses on shared relationships and histories of some of its major players and master free-stylists. The virtuosity of eclectic urban dance styles and the personalities of the people who created these moves are revealed.

PRECEDED BY: freedom2dance (Ina Sotirova, 2011) and DFA Student Film Competition Winner

Q&A with Gabrielle Lamb, Violette Verdy, and Dominique Delouche on Saturday, January 28 screening!

Drawing on highlights from his previous films on Alicia Markova, Nina Vyroubova and Violette Verdy, France’s leading chronicler of the process of ballet coaching adds new footage of former Paris Opera étoile and Balanchine muse Ghislaine Thesmar.

PRECEDED BY: En Dedans (Gabrielle Lamb, 2011) & Figment (Gabrielle Lamb, 2010)

Q&A with directors Clara van Gool and Jenn Goodwin to follow January 27 screening. Q&A with directors Clara van Gool, Pontus Lidberg and Jenn Goodwin to follow January 29 screening.

Four short films: Coup de grâce (Clara van Gool, 2010), Numb Ceremony (Ninja Miori and Hannes Hagstrand, 2011), Labyrinth Within (Pontus Lidberg, 2010), The Supreme Task of Whip It and Alleluia (Jenn Goodwin, 2010).

Introduction by director David Fernandez and Q&A with director Joe Locarro and 'Billys' – David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish, Trent Kowalik to follow the screenings.

This heartwarming documentary reveals the process of finding and casting the three original boys who played 'Billy' in Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway and includes interviews with the creative team during the rehearsal process leading up to its Broadway opening.

PRECEDED BY: White Shirt, Black Tie, Black Pants XXS (David Schilirio & David Fernandez, 2011)

A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.

Q&A with Natalia Makarova to follow the screening.

Natalia Makarova, the legendary prima ballerina whose performances set the standard for artistry in roles such as Swan Lake’s Odette/Odile and Giselle, to name a few, demonstrates a touching humility and dedication to her craft in this intimate video portrait. The director shows her at the barre under the tutelage of the great pedagogue Irina Yakobsen, in candid conversation with choreographer Roland Petit; and in the creation of Petit’s ballet “The Blue Angel.”

SHOWN WITH: Carmen Pas de Deux and Proust Pas de Deux

Q&A with director Daniel Cabrero to follow the screening.

This innovative documentary celebrates the artistry of Mariemma, the late classical Spanish dancer renowned for her castanets, her sophisticated choreography and for elevating the level of dancers’ technique throughout Spain, and includes visual recreations, rare footage, and interviews.

Q&A with director Ron Honsa to follow the screening.

Narrated by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones, this documentary features performances, conversations with choreographers and dancers, and rare archival footage, while telling the remarkable story of how an abandoned farm in Massachusetts evolved into Jacob’s Pillow, a premiere showcase for dance, revered around the world.

Introductions by directors Philippe Baylaucq, Jeffrey Ruoff and Eye on Dance’s Celia Ipiotis.

Three short films: Ora (Philippe Baylaucq, 2011), Eye on Dance: Interview with Moses Pendleton and Jonathan Wolken (Celia Ipiotis & Jeff Bush, 1987), and Still Moving: Pilobolus at 40 (Jeffrey Ruoff, 2012).

This documentary follows the process of dancer Li Chiao-Ping as she prepares to perform the work of seven postmodern choreographers including Elizabeth Streb, Heidi Latsky, June Watanabe, Victoria Marks, Cynthia Adams, Molissa Fenley and Bebe Miller. Li immerses herself in the choreographic language of each choreographer as she learns the solos created specifically for her.

Q&A to follow both screenings with director Richard Rutkowski.

This visual and visceral documentary travels more than 20 years, from Japan to New York City and back to Japan again, in pursuit of the creative life of Suzushi Hanayagi, a powerful, innovative, radical Japanese dancer and choreographer.

PRECEDED BY: La femme à la cafetière (Robert Wilson, 1989)

Introductions by directors David Rousseve, Cari Ann Shim Sham, John T. Williams, Amy Campion and Bruce Berryhill.

Five short films: Two Seconds After Laughter (David Rousseve, 2011), Sand (Cari Ann Shim Sham, 2010), Black Train Is Coming (John T. Williams, 2011), Pursuit (Amy Campion, 2011), Re-staging Shelter (Bruce Berryhill & Martha Curtis, 2011).

Introduction by Falling director Adriano Cirulli and Q&A to follow.

British choreographer Wayne McGregor is a movement explorer who has been enormously influential abroad and gaining a following in the U.S. through his touring company Random Dance. Now the resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet, he has created a style noted for its elasticity and extreme physicality.

PRECEDED BY: Falling (Adriano Cirulli, 2011)

Five short films: Bench Seat (Anna Mastro, 2011), Come Sit Stay (Jody Oberfelder, 2010), Fanfare for Marching Band (Danielle Wilmouth, 2011), Play House (Ruben van Leer, 2011), and Spring Cleaning (Pooh Kaye, 2011).

Appearing courtesy of the Consulate General of Spain, Spain Arts & Culture, and Institut Ramon Llull, filmmaker/producer Nuria Font has been running Mostra de VideoDansa, a Spanish biannual dance film festival for twenty years, and her own production company Nu2 since 2003. She has been a galvanizing force for dance on camera, commissioning films from Spanish artists, exhibiting them internationally, and conducting research into the field. She will present excerpts from: Escenari (1995), Peix(1995), Divadlo (2000), as well as a work-in-progress of her own.

Appearing courtesy of the Cultural Department of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch filmmaker Clara van Gool (Enter Achilles, Nussin, Bitings and Other Effects) has had a steady stream of winning dance films, including this year’s premiere at DOCF – Coup de grace. DOCF Curator Deirdre Towers will interview van Gool about her approach, her philosophy, and her collaborators.

Modern dance now has a new performance space accessible anywhere in the world with the touch of a finger – the iPhone, with a free app called Dances for an iPhone, created by choreographer/videographer Richard Daniels. He will present four solos from Vol 4 set to music by Scriabin, demonstrate how the app works, and converse, as moderated by Norton Owen, with some of the dancers who appear in videos. Anticipated participants include Molissa Fenley, David Leventhal, Barbara Mahler, Risa Steinberg, and Christine Wright.