Dancing Through the Lens San Francisco Dance Film Festival

Tamara Rojo, a former Royal Ballet principal dancer and artistic director of English National Ballet, is now forging new paths as the new artistic director of San Francisco Ballet. Over the course of her decade-long leadership of ENB, Rojo oversaw the creation of many dance films, most notably helmed by the creative team of Jess and Morgs (Jessica Wright & Morgann Runacre-Temple). These films have delighted audiences at SFDFF over the years. One of those films, An Evening with Taglioni, will screen as part of the festival kickoff Spotlight Shorts program at Lucasfilm Premiere Theater, which also has films featuring current and former San Francisco Ballet dancers.

This interview was conducted by guest host and longtime SFDFF Executive Director Judy Flannery. 

Spotlight Shorts Screens on Friday, October 28 at the Lucasfilm Premiere Theater at 7PM. More information can be found at this link:

https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2022/shorts-program/opening-night-salute-to-shorts/


@rojotamara
@jessandmorgsfilms
@sfdancefilmfest

La Mezcla is a polyrhythmic San Francisco based dance and music ensemble rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions and social justice. Its founder, Vanessa Sanchez, spoke with us about the process of developing the company's latest work Ghostly Labor, a film and soon-to-be dance theatre piece that explores the history of labor in the US Mexico Borderlands. We spoke about the extensive research and development of the work, rhythmic crafting and hybridization and capturing clean sound when you're surrounded by traffic and farm equipment.

Ghostly Labor will screen as a part of SFDFF's Raising Voices on Thursday, November 3rd at 7PM at the Roxie Theater. More information can be found at this link:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2022/shorts-program/raising-voices-3/

https://vanessasanchez.net/lamezcla/

@sfdancefilmfest
@lamezcla_sf
@jjleanos
@clschweitz

This episode was recorded on the ancestral lands of the Yelamu, part of the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Learn more at https://native-land.ca/

Steven Melendez is the artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet, a Manhattan-based ballet company dedicated to performing classic masterpieces and new contemporary works for adults and innovative hourlong ballets for young children. Steven's introduction to ballet began as a young child through the New York Theatre Ballet School's LIFT scholarship program that creates an equal opportunity and an accessible dance training environment for talented at-risk homeless and underserved children. A documentary about Steven and the program, also titled LIFT, will have its West-Coast Premiere on Saturday, November 5th at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival.

@sfdancefilmfest
@couellette87
@thestevenmelendez
@liftdocumentary
@nytheatreballet

Tickets for the 2022 San Francisco Dance Film Festival are now available
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2022/

This episode was recorded on the ancestral lands of the Yelamu, part of the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Learn more at https://native-land.ca/

Bella Lewitzky was a modern-dance pioneer and an outspoken politically active champion of artistic freedom. The theatrical premiere of the documentary Bella, about Lewinsky’s life, work, and activism will take place at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival this fall with director Bridget Murnane in attendance. Clare had the opportunity to speak with Bridget about her close connection with Bella throughout her life as well as the questions she hopes the audience will ask themselves when they see the film.

@sfdancefilmfest
@clschweitz
@bridgetmurnane
@bellalewitzkyfilm

This episode was recorded on the territory of xučyun (Huichin), the original land of the Chochenyo speaking Ohlone people. Learn more at https://native-land.ca/

Lenora Lee, artistic director of Lenora Lee Dance and Olivia Ting, multimedia graphic designer, had been collaborative partners for quite some time, and are currently working on their newest premiere "In The Movement" which will run for nearly two weeks at the beginning of September at ODC theater. Chris spoke with them about the experience of taking dance and creating an immersive environment, the importance of honoring the history of the people and the sites they choreograph and create on, and what they hope to accomplish when translating dance into film.

@sfdancefilmfest
@couellette87
@lenoraleedance
@oting1
@67suenos

http://www.lenoraleedance.com/

This episode was recorded on the ancestral lands of the Yelamu, part of the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Learn more at https://native-land.ca/

Nadia Adame is a Spanish multidisciplinary award-winning artist with a spinal cord injury and the current artistic director of AXIS Dance Company. She studied Ballet & Flamenco at the Royal Dance Conservatory of Madrid and has a BA in Theatre from the University of Colorado. She was a company member with AXIS (2001-2003) and Candoco Dance Company (2007-2008). In 2004, she co-founded and was the Co-Artistic Director of Compañía Y in Spain, a multimedia and performance collective. Nadia’s credits include dance, theatre, commercial, and independent film projects in the UK, Spain, US, and Canada.

@sfdancefilmfest
@couellette87
@axisdanceco
@nadia_adame

http://www.nadiaadame.com/

This episode was recorded on the ancestral lands of the Yelamu, part of the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Learn more at https://native-land.ca/