Dance Cinema Festival in Sderot spotlights two art forms

The Dance Cinema Festival, a collaboration between the Adama Dance School in Sderot and the Sderot Cinematheque, will take place from August 8-13, at both of these locations. It will feature screenings of films where dance is front and center, as well as dance performances, including some world premieres, workshops and master classes on how to film dance so it comes alive on screen. 

Israel’s premier documentary-directing duo, the Heymann brothers (Barak and Tomer), made Mr. Gaga, the acclaimed and very enjoyable documentary about Ohad Naharin, the former artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company. They will give a two-day workshop called, “From Idea to Movie, from Life to Screen,” that will cover look at making dance films. The workshop will cover all aspects of capturing dance on film, from working with dancers, dance cinematography, recording sound and editing the finished film. The brothers will discuss their long journey getting Naharin to agree to take part in a film about his life. 

A workshop called “Dancing in the Frame: Basics in Video Dance,” with choreographer/dancer/director Dafna Miro, will explore her approach to capturing dance on film and will draw on her experiences both as a dancer and making her award-winning films. 

Black Belt, a new work by Liat Dror, will have its premiere at the festival and will be performed by the Adama Dance Company. Eirad Ben Gal’s new piece, “They Will Not Live in the Houses They Build” spotlights the hazards of construction work, where dozens of workers are killed each year. Noa Shadur is a choreographer and video artist who will give a workshop on video dance. 

There are a number of dance films that will be screened at the cinematheque. Everyone remembers Gene Kelly’s iconic dance to the title song in Singin’ in the Rain, but because he made it look so easy, people forget what a truly great dancer he was and how well he choreographed for the screen. The title tune is just one of several dance sequences that are among the most exciting ever put on film. Kelly’s dances in this movie are alternately dramatic and comic and always illuminate his character and tell a story. And here’s an amazing piece of trivia: Kelly had a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 celsius) when he filmed the Singin’ in the Rain number.  

The White Crow is a biopic of Rudolf Nureyev that stars Oleg Ivenko, a Ukrainian ballet dancer. It tells the life story of Nureyev, one of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century, and details his defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961.

Wim Wenders’ Pina is a tribute to the distinguished German choreographer Pina Bausch and it features dancers performing her most famous pieces in a number of settings. It is considered one of the best and most exciting dance films. 

Stephen Daldry’s Billy Elliot is a crowd-pleasing gem about a young British boy (Jamie Bell) from a working-class family who finds that his love and great talent for dance puts him at odds with his father. Dance or Die is a documentary about the Syrian dancer Ahmad Joudeh who managed to become a dancer in war-torn Damascus who now dances in the Netherlands. He had the words “Dance or Die” tattooed on the back of his neck so if he were to be decapitated by Islamic extremists, they would be have to read these words.