It’s August and it’s hot. A time when typically many people vacate to halcyon destinations rare or unknown, and yet I do hope a few of you readers are lingering… As we sashay through the final heat of summer and ramp up to receive submissions for Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival Round Two 2017, I wanted to take a moment to introduce the judges on board.
Joining me this year on the judging panel I am beyond thrilled to welcome a stellar line up of dance, film, and theater professionals from both coasts. Their level of expertise and experience both individually and collectively is truly astounding… These are eyes that you want to get your dance work in front of!
Take a look…
Casey Brooks is a NY based director and photographer. Her extensive background in dance has perfected her eye for movement and rhythm, giving her work its distinct aesthetic quality. Her specialty in movement has led her to collaborate with some of the best talent in the dance world including, Beyoncé’s choreographer, Dana Foglia, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Michelle Dorrance, Emma Portner, and principle dancers from The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Shen Wei, and Cedar Lake.
Her clients include Amazon, Bentley, Vivienne Westwood, i-D Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Garage Magazine, and Net-A-Porter, to name a few. Casey’s work has been featured in global video and still billboard campaigns from Times Square, New York to Manila, Philippines. Her Aéropostale commercial featuring dancers in stretchy jeans hit over 8.5 millions views on YouTube. caseybrooks.com
d. Sabela grimes – be a trans-media storyteller, sonic ARKivist, movement composer cultivating a devoted interest in Afribiquitous life practices; sonic-kinetic spectrums that be infinite, multi-dimensional and distinct manifestations of wombniversal consciousness.
Sabela is also a Rockefeller Artist, COLA grant recipient, and an educator at The Glorya Kaufman USC School of Dance. dsabelagrimes.com
Julie McDonald is co-owner of McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA). She is a pioneer in the field of dance and choreography representation, having formed the first talent agency in 1985 devoted exclusively to dance. While breaking ground by representing her clients across all mediums of entertainment, she became an advocate for better terms and working conditions for dancers and choreographers and devoted herself to raising the visibility of the art and craft of commercial dance and especially choreography. In 2000 she and Tony Selznick formed McDonald Selznick Associates. (MSA). Their clients represent a who’s who in the world of dance and have been nominated for or have won numerous Emmy, Tony, and MTV awards. MSA clients have directed and/or choreographed Las Vegas spectacles, Broadway productions, television prime time dramas and sitcoms, every awards show including the Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Awards, and numerous films spanning the past three decades.
Ms. McDonald co-created the American Choreography Awards (1994-2004), an event honoring choreography achievement in media. She was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Choreographers Carnival and Dance under the Stars Choreography Festival for her work pioneering the representation of dancers and choreographers. Julie is on the Board of Trustees for the Dizzy Feet Foundation, an organization devoted to dance education for underserved communities throughout the US. She also serves on the boards of Center Dance Association at the Music Center, Dance Magazine, The World Choreography Awards, and as a judge for the Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival. msaagency.com
Vincent Paterson is a world-renowned director and choreographer whose career spans just about every genre of the entertainment industry including film, theatre, Broadway, concert tours, opera, music videos, television and commercials. As a director and choreographer, Vincent created many works for Madonna and Michael Jackson including Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour, her Marie Antoinette Vogue performance for MTV and the choreography for Express Yourself and Vogue. For Michael Jackson, Vincent created the Bad Tour as well as choreographing Smooth Criminal, Blood on the Dance Floor, The Way You Make Me Feel, Black or White and live performances including the Grammy Awards and the Superbowl Halftime Show.
Vincent directed and choreographed the musical sequences in Lars Von Trier’s, Dancer in the Dark. He choreographed The Birdcage and Closer for director Mike Nichols, Evita for Alan Parker, Hook for Steven Spielberg. The TNT Telefilm, In Search of Dr. Seuss, which Vincent directed and choreographed, received seven Emmy nominations. He choreographed London’s West End production of Lenny for director Sir Peter Hall, LA Opera’s Grand Duchess for director Garry Marshall and directed and choreographed Manon for LA Opera conducted by Placido Domingo. Vincent received a Tony nomination for choreographing Hal Prince’s Kiss of the Spiderwoman. He also directed and choreographed the musicals Cabaret in Berlin and Evita in Vienna. vincentpaterson.com
Hailed by the NY Times as among the greatest dancers of his time, multi-award winning Desmond Richardson is the first African American Principal dancer of American Ballet Theater. Richardson received a Tony award nomination for his role in the original cast of “Fosse” and has worked as a principal dancer with some of the most prestigious stages, companies, and productions in the world, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, The Kennedy Center, Frankfurt Ballet, Bolshoi Theater, Teatro al la Scala, and Paris Opera, and played the principal character of Tony in Twyla Tharp’s Broadway production ” Movin Out” amongst others. He has also appeared as a celebrity guest performer and choreographer on hit television shows, films, and music videos. Mr. Richardson is currently Guest Artist in residence at the new Glorya Kaufman School of International Dance at USC. desmondrichardson.com
And if you’re looking for me, please go to sarahelgart.com
I invite you to check out the work of these amazing judges and start honing your own ideas! Be they polished or raw, student or professional, please do your part to #democratizedance… Go out in public, dance it, shoot it, and SUBMIT it to:
[alert type=alert-white ]Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival Round Two 2017![/alert]
Come on… We dare you to.
And for a bit of funspiration, check out a classic example of dancing in public featuring Spike Jonze and the Torrance Community Dance Group for Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” in front of a Westwood theater and about a hundred unsuspecting movie goers. This one would definitely qualify under the “raw” category… Enjoy!
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