SUNDAY
Ani Taj
A danced, musical ode to gathering spaces and the social fuel that they provide. Set to an electronic score by Tony Award-nominated composer Daniel Kluger, with cinematography by Maddy Talias, Sunday navigates the edges between anxiety and exultation in an empty amphitheater in the Lower East Side of New York.
Pulso:/Impulse
Niurca Marquez
An exploration of the moment, the pulse and impulse of the space and the body. A collaboration of five female voices collapsed into one intention: to respond to what they see and feel. Each building on what she is given and responding from her own positioning.
The Beckoning
DeMar Walker
A dance short addressing the historical & political violence of displacement/dispossession inflicted on the Black body in hopes of signifying the inherent virtue of Black life within American society. The film features original poetry by Destinny Fletcher, as well as, original music by Kellen “Klassik” Abston.
A Chair is a Chair
Roxana Barba
An invitation turned confession captures the secret and spiritual side of meaningful objects. Using excerpts from letters in the book Amado Señor by Argentinian author Pablo Katchadjian, this short is a mystical study of a chair and other objects by window light. This project was filmed while in residency at Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina, 2018 and edited in 2020, during long periods of reflection and observation afforded by the lock-down.
The Wind and The Kite
Robert Machoian, Keely Song
Deepening this tale of strife, the conventional dance short is subverted, choosing at moments to focus on the faces of the dancers and at other times remove them from the frame. The composer’s sweeping orchestral score and the extra-terrestrial seeming landscape serve to heighten this juxtaposition in this boundary-pushing piece.
BEAUTIFUL ARTIST
Joseph Rucker Jr.
A man who dreams of becoming a successful musician. But sadly he loses everything and becomes homeless. When he finally has a moment of hope, reality hits him. Before he washes away in despair it’s only then that he can dream of his love of music.
Downstage
Stephanie Owens
Ballet isn’t easy, and 11-year old Aedan knows it. As he prepares for his first solo ballet competition, full of blossoming drive, seasoned ballet professionals reflect on their own transformative journeys with ballet. Together, they process the challenges and rewards of this demanding art form.
Los Perros del Barrio Colosal
Omar Román De Jesús
Through the exaggerated mannerisms of daytime television, the six characters of this tale take us on a wild romp through the challenges of creative decision making. Diving dramatically into the adventure of an imagination yet to be physicalized, they ask us to consider the far side of the moments when our ideas threaten, with disjointed urgency, to swallow us whole.