Week of October 12-16, 2020

To Read
To Watch
To Do

Dance on Film Week!

With live performances cancelled for almost an entire calendar year, dancers and artists have had to step off the stage and find new ways to explore their creativity and artistry. On September 30, American Ballet Theatre premiered Moving Stories: An ABT Film Festival featuring eight short films by ABT dancers.

We are pleased to celebrate our dancers stepping behind the camera to share their creative visions with the world.

Monday

A Film by Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside

Where would be the best place to perform the ballet Swan Lake? You guessed it… an actual lake! Join Principal Dancers Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside as they perform the iconic White Swan Pas de Deux at the most picturesque of settings. After you watch the performance, check out their roundtable discussion to learn more about their process and what it was like to perform without a live audience.

Swan Lake

A film by and featuring Principal Dancers Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside.

Discussion with Isabella and James.

Tuesday

Tips for Making Your Own Dance Films

Join one of ABT’s Teaching Artists as they introduce you to ABT and its ballets. Learn a dance, stop and sketch, and don’t forget to have fun!

Up this week: Filmmaker Matt Donnelly!

Wednesday

A Film by Zhong-Jing Fang

Over the last 6 months we have learned that although our dancers are spread across the globe, they can still create together and tell stories that move audiences.

ABT Soloist Zhong Jing Fang utilized the geography of our dancers to create a moving and beautifully stunning film entitled Perception.

Perception

A film by Soloist Zhong-Jing Fang

Cast: Stella Abrera, Zimmi Coker, Herman Cornejo, Zhong-Jing Fang, Douglas Gavin, Courtney Lavine, Fangqi Li, Isadora Loyola, Jonatan Lujan, Joseph Markey, Betsy McBride, Luciana Paris, Michael Scales, Amanda Treiber, Simon Wexler, Roman Zhurbin.

A discussion with Zhong-Jing.

Writing Prompt

Which of these settings inspires you the most and why? How would you use the space to create a dance?

Thursday

A Film by Jose Sebastian

Most ballets have a clear ending that neatly wraps up the story, such as how in The Sleeping Beauty the story ends with the wedding of Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré. In The Nutcracker, the ending is not so clear as we find Clara waking up in her bed holding the Nutcracker and wondering if she went on an extravagant journey or just had a fantastic dream.

Sometimes choreographers love to not give us all of the answers and instead let the viewer or audience make their own decisions as to what happened or will happen next in the story.

Sillage, by Jose Sebastian, asks the viewer to use their feelings and emotions to determine what his story is about.

Sillage

A film by corps de ballet dancer Jose Sebastian

Cast: Devon Teuscher and Cory Stearns

A discussion with Jose.

Writing Prompt

What do you think happens at the end of this film?

Friday

A Film by Eric Tamm

Ever wonder what corps de ballet dancers do during quarantine? Take a look at how Eric Tamm kept himself busy this summer!

Pay close attention because at the end of the film, you will take a short quiz to challenge your memory!

Le Tré Cortegé

A film by corps de ballet dancer Eric Tamm

Cast: Eric Tamm (with Daisy Dukes and Storm Kitty)

A discussion with Eric.

Le Tré Cortegé Quiz

Time's up