Shorts Program: Narrative

The lives of dancers and other artists are explored in thirteen shorts that tell stories through movement.

The Icons
Mitchell Rose, United States, 2017, 4m
New York Premiere
Alternative interpretations of signage from America’s favorite generic couple, The Icons.

In the Space Between
Herve Cohen, USA, 2017, 6m
New York Premiere
Two strangers meet on a subway and embark on a journey, real or imagined. This is a project of San Francisco Dance Film Festival’s Co-Laboratory, in which filmmakers and choreographers are paired together and given one week to make a film, in this case choreographer Deborah Slater and director Herve Cohen.

Impetu’s: Flamenco’s Driving Force
Lulo Rivero, 2017, 5m
New York Premiere
Jesus Carmona tells a story with his own brand of flamenco, filmed in various Miami locations.

Vola
Ned Farr, United States, 2017, 6m
New York Premiere
A young dancer remembers and relives her struggle for perfection. Shot at Teatro di Torino in Italy with two Italian dancers whose minimal dialogue needs no translation.

Sweet in the Morning
Andree Ljutica, USA, 2016, 5m
New York Premiere
This dance journey to reconnect with loved ones who have passed away was filmed at the Angel Orensanz Center on the Lower East side, an ecstatic solo danced in a cathedral-like setting by Darrell Payne and choreographed by the late Leni Wylliams to a rendition by vocal virtuoso Bobby McFerrin.

Uthica
Baruq Gibran Seth, Mexico, 2017, 8m
U.S. Premiere
Like actors in a Buñuelian action-adventure, a couple, masked and bizarrely costumed, perform a violent acrobatic duet that suggests a breakup. They enter a dream world of surreal characters and moving objects and eventually re-emerge restored.

Cold
Sven Niemeyer, Germany, 2017, 6m
New York Premiere
A mother’s love turns cold in the struggle to care for her child.

Night Dancing
Barney Cokeliss, UK, 2016, 6m
Nightly, Bob sees a beautiful young woman dancing outside his window. He is transfixed and wonders if she is real. Then things get complicated.

Jelanii’s Dance
Maggie Piazza Carroll, USA, 2017, 4m
Jelanii has been through tough times but bursts through the screen with the tenacity and drive of a true survivor.

Hypra
Tim Jockel, Germany, 2018, 3m
U.S. Premiere
Dance and digital art merge in this lyrical solo performance.

Competing for Sunlight: Ash
Dagmar Dachauer, Austria, 2017, 5m
New York Premiere
A melancholy ode to an endangered species set to music by Tom Waits.

Apache Crew
Yuriy Semenyuk, USA, 2017, 10m
A Ukrainian dance team performs at Coney Island in this one-take black-and-white dazzler.

Oh! Million Fist!
Hugo Cho, Hong Kong, 2017, 8m
U.S. Premiere
Using the techniques of action moviemaking, martial arts dancer Cho collaborates with fight director Master Yuen Fai to create original choreography based on fight scenarios.