What to Watch: This Short Film Celebrates the Dancer in All of Us
As we approach Thanksgiving, there’s much to be grateful for. Perhaps one of the most important things on your list is dance. Whether you’re a full-time company member, an aspiring professional, an audience member, or you simply delight in dancing in your daydreams, this art form is a creative escape.
That’s not to say that being a dancer is easy: Pursuing such a competitive career can be heartbreaking, especially when you’re faced with rejection.
La Folía
, a short dance film by director Adam Grannick that was recently released online, echoes these sentiments in under 12 minutes.
Still from La Folía. Shot by Mickey Lewitter, Courtesy Adam Grannick.
The 24 quick vignettes are all set to a familiar classical melody, known as “La Folía,” a theme that’s been recycled by various composers over the last 500 years. Many of the snapshots involve dance—a teen girl rejected from an audition because she doesn’t have a typical ballet body, or a corporate woman who reflects on flamenco dancing as she rides the elevator to her office (perhaps she used to be a dancer, or she wishes that she could be). All of the stories, however, are told without dialogue, often with repetitive motions, and depict a series human struggles: There’s the work-weary businessman, who becomes increasingly disheveled on his morning commute as the days tick by. Or the writer, who surrounds himself with an ever-growing pile of crumpled paper, each another rejected attempt at perfection.
At its heart, La Folía is a reminder that, while life isn’t perfect, there’s a dancer, or an artist, in all of us. And drawing on that can unlock a little magic when we need it most.
