To select the 47 films being featured in this year's American Dance Festival Movies by Movers Appalachian State Associate Dance Studies Professor Cara Hagan screened more than 200 potential entries.
"There are artists everywhere, and it's reaffirming to see so much talent coming together through the vehicle of movement," said Hagan, who founded the festival and directs and curates it each year to celebrate the beauty of dance from the perspective of creative visionaries around the world.
The family-friendly shows, which are free and open to the public, run Oct. 17-Oct. 19 with screenings at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Valborg Theater at 480 Howard Street on Appalachian's campus. Even though admission is free, donations for dance scholarships are gratefully accepted.
Featured Film: "La Chana"
Each season, Movies by Movers showcases a full-length feature film about dance. This year's selection is "La Chana," by Lucija Stojevic, an award-winning documentary about one woman's strength to overcome life's challenges. With depth, humor and pathos, "La Chana" celebrates the charisma and flair of a self-taught Gypsy flamenco dancer who in the 1960s-80s rose to international stardom and then suddenly vanished from the public eye at the height of her career. This film brings us under the skin and into the irrepressible spirit of this eccentric woman with an uncanny gift for rhythm who, despite all odds, enjoys a comeback in her late sixties. The film will be screened at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 18.
Schedule
The schedule for "Movies by Movers" is:
Thursday, October 17 at 7 p.m.
Parallel Universes – a collection of films that reimagine our world, or introduce us to new ones.
57 minutes.
"Time Subjectives in Objective Time," by Kat Kallio
"Reverie of the Puppets," by Kathy Rose
"Bloom," by Yelena Konetchy
"The Maestro," by Juel D. Lane
"Groggy Grugg," by Conor C. Long
"Seuls Ensemble (Alone Together)", by Jennifer Scully-Thurston
"Clonal Renderings," by Peter Sparling
"Vestiges," by Mary Fitzgerald
"Unfolding," by Dylan Wilbur
Thursday, October 17 at 8:30 p.m.
Student Films – dance films by students in undergraduate and graduate programs of study.
1 hour, 20 minutes.
"En Acuerdo," by Maya Billig
"Blind," by Katariina Räty
"Cohort 707," by Lawrence Fung
"MINE," by Sasha Chudacoff
"Spectra," by Stephanie Scheubeck
"Control," by Júlia Garedo
"Encounter," by Isabel Filkins
"Piñata by LROD y Artistas," by Laura Rodriguez
"Lacuna," by Coal Rietenbach
"Death is her Sister," by Jade Salzano
"Bench Impression," by Hannah Haines
"Unspoken," by Mor Jessica Mizrachi
"Chase the Flying Hours," by Annalisa Ledson and Jamie Watkins
Friday, October 18 at 7 p.m.
"La Chana" – Movie By Movers Feature Film. 1 hour, 22 minutes.
Friday, October 18 at 8:30 p.m.
This is Who We Are – films that make a statement. 50 minutes.
"The Field," by Holly Wilder
"Us," by Jordan James Bridge
"Apariciones/Apparitions," by Marina Magalhaes
"Black Man in America," by Justina Grayman
"Unspoken Spoken," by Fin Walker, Ross McGibbon, and Ben Park
Saturday, October 19 at 7 p.m.
Something for Everyone - a mixed bag of every flavor. 1 hour, 9 minutes.
"Your Wake," by Michelle Bernier and Ana Baer
"The Storm," by Chafic Saad and Evie Ladin
"But First," by Erin Brown Thomas
"Carriage," by Ori Lenkinski and Rachel Erdos
"Mother of All Time," by P. Sam Kessie and Lane M. Wooder
"Aquarium," by Hannah Hamalian
"Tumult," by Marta Renzi
"every. single. one. (karuna)," by Cherie Sampson
"We Are Here," by Sima Gonsai
"Humana," by Paulina Rutman
"I Am Blessed," by Hannah Darrah
"So Say All of Us," by Mitchell Rose
Saturday, October 19 at 8:30 p.m.
A Trip Around the World – films featuring and inspired by dancers and dances from around the world.
1 hour, 22 minutes.
"Atena," by Mark Freeman
"Bhairava," by Marlene Millar and Philip Szporer
"The Walls of Limerick," by Arturo Bandinelli
"Get Riel", by Will Barnard and Moira Rowan
"In the House of my Mother," by Joan Wagman
"Isla III," by Natalia Barua and Owa Barua
"Quiet Emotions," by Teemu Kyytinen
About Movies By Movers
Movies by Movers is an artistic venture that celebrates the coupled beauty of movement and film and their wide-reaching grasp on humanity. The festival encompasses all types of filmmaking and allows a wide array of students, professionals, amateur artists and ambitious individuals to explore a copious variety of topics and themes - all through the power of captured motion.
This year is also a significant landmark for the festival as it celebrates its decade long existence. Movies by Movers is unique in the fact that it showcases works by individuals from both the United States and numerous foreign counties. Hagan says, "This approach to event content enables the dance film festival to remain fresh and innovative from year to year."
Hagan says that the overall quality of the works is also something to behold, and entry into the festival's lineup is very competitive. Film and movement pioneers are not guaranteed a slot as each artist must submit their work for curated review before being selected to participate.
Logistics
Parking for the event is located on campus in staff/faculty lots and will be available after 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Parking spots in staff/faculty lots are available all day on Saturday. Additional parking will be available at College Street parking deck (near Belk Library and Information Commons) after 5:30 p.m. This event takes place during Appalachian State University's Homecoming weekend so parking will be limited and may have enhanced restrictions.
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Media Contact Keith Martin
828-262-8179 martinkt1@appstate.edu
About the Department of Theatre and Dance
The Department of Theatre and Dance is one of seven departments housed in Appalachian's College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 19,280 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
Cara Hagen Gelber
Cara Hagen Gelber