Two of Los Angeles’ foremost cultural organizations—the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts—have teamed up with Chicago’s Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater to present Films.Dance, a groundbreaking new global free film series produced by and under the creative direction of LA-based Jacob Jonas The Company. Films.Dance is being made available to the public at no charge. One of the most ambitious international dance film projects ever undertaken, Films.Dance engages more than 150 artists from 52 cities in 25 countries, culminating in 15 short films that have been shot during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next film in the series, PLUME, premieres on April 26, 2021, 9 AM (PT), and will subsequently be available on demand. 21 acrobats from around the world, from Australia to the United States to Russia, performed and filmed their unique movement styles which were then layered with animation to create Plume. Despite clipped wings, the artists in Plume perform in full flight underscored by the brilliant music played by noted violinist Hillary Hahn. Co-directed by Francisco Cruz and Beren D’Amico, the film features an original score by Gaelynn Lea, an American folk singer, violinist, public speaker and disability advocate, with arrangement by Steve Hackman.
Directors & Editors: Beren D’Amico + Francisco Cruz
Animation: Beren D’Amico
Featuring: Tia Balacey, Kristián Mensa, Aurélien Oudot, Kevin Beverley, Joy Isabella Brown, Kaisha DW, Seirian Griffiths, Beren D’Amico, Luca 'Lazylegz' Patuelli, Nic Walton, Quentin Greco, Yvonne Smink, Brin Schoelkopf, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, Sadiqua Bynum, Francisco Cruz, Mathieu Forget, Daniel Liddiard, Chernih Denis, Louis Gift, Dominic Cruz
Composer: Gaelynn Lea
Arranged By: Steve Hackman + Hilary Hahn
Violin Performed By: Hilary Hahn
Produced By: Jacob Jonas The Company
Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by the vision of Jacob Jonas, the worldwide series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences. Filmed in locations ranging from Amsterdam, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, and London, to Los Angeles, New York, Nigeria, and Spain—Films.Dance exists at the intersection of dance, music, fashion, and film.
Each Monday through May 3, 2021, one film will premiere for free at 9 a.m. (PT) on the Web at https://www.films.dance, on https://www.instagram.com/films.dance, and the Films.Dance Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/globalfilmseries.