Dance Film Narratives

Coup de grâce | Clara van Gool
Netherlands | 2010 | 26m
A masterful screen adaptation of Ölelés (2003), this latest creation by Clara van Gool (best known for her screen adaptation of DV8’s Enter Achilles) explores the relationship between two adversaries who meet in a remote location and engage in a weaponless duel that is marked by extreme emotions and an intense movement style that oscillates between savage cruelty and unexpected warmth. These energetic matadors, dancers Jordi Cortes Molina and Damian Munoz, turn the reunion into a suspenseful drama.

Numb Ceremony
Ninja Miori and Hannes Hagstrand
Sweden | 2011 | 5m
The loss of a loved one can produce a feeling of numbness. Thrust together with others in a similar state, frozen, hooded creatures engage in a ritual.

Labyrinth Within | Pontus Lidberg
Sweden | 2010 | 28.5m
A haunting take on jealousy, this existential thriller posits a man, a woman, and an elusive lover in a series of intense duets in a stark apartment that becomes a fourth character.  Performed to a commissioned score by David Lang with cello performed by Maya Beiser, the work features NYCBallet principal Wendy Whelan, Giovanni Bucchieri and Pontus Lidberg, a Swedish choreographer (Rain, Mirror) also known for his work with Morphoses.

The Supreme Task of Whip It and Alleluia | Jenn Goodwin
Canada | 2010 | 5m
Whip It and Alleluia, backup dancers to a second-rate singer with issues, hold to the supreme task of ensuring the show goes on, at all costs. Performed by Valerie Calam, Nicola Pantin, Alicia Grant and produced with the support of Bravo!FACT.