“Circle,” Choreographed by Qiaoqiao Zhang

Choreographer Qiaoqiao Zhang and director Phillip Kaminiak collaborated on the eerie film “Circle,” which juxtaposes the experience of living in a big city and the phenomenon known as the “death spiral” in which ants lose the pheromone track of their group and follow each other in continuous circles until they die. Shot in Mexico City, […]

9 Screendance Artists You Should Know About

The field of screendance is chock-full of artists redefining what it means to make dance, and to create films. Now that the pandemic has put a spotlight on the genre, it’s time to highlight some of the artists. The following nine screendance makers, collectives and production companies represent a variety of aesthetic approaches to the […]

Jeremy Jacob Explores the Choreography of Filmmaking

Filmmaker Jeremy Jacob has some advice: “Let people know if you want to collaborate.” Their own recent collaborations include “Dear Merce,” with Netta Yerushalmy, and “David,” with Pam Tanowitz for American Ballet Theatre, starring David Hallberg. Jacob discovered dance as a student at Parsons School of Design, when the study of film and picture making […]

Flamenco Dancer Cristina Hall in “Boundaries”

After spending the pandemic locked down in Seville, Spain, contemporary Flamenco dancer Cristina Hall returned to her hometown of San Francisco and put all the emotions of the past year and a half into a dance film. Directed by Natalie Shirinian and with cinematography by Dylan Bell, “Boundaries” was shot at Saint Joseph’s Art Society, […]

“Aisha” by Starinah “Star” Dixon for M.A.D.D. Rhythms

To celebrate National Tap Dance Day earlier this week, Chicago’s M.A.D.D. Rhythms released two new dance videos, including “Aisha,” choreographed by the group’s assistant director Starinah “Star” Dixon. To a song of the same name, written by McCoy Tyner and performed by John Coltrane, the company members perform a joyful, romantic dance filled with infectious […]

“Manhattan Transfer”

What do you do when you find yourself alone on a usually crowded subway car? If you’re anything like us, you dance. Set in in the wee hours of a Manhattan night, this short film captures a tired businessman dancing his worries away, then coolly stepping off onto the platform like it never happened. Performed […]

How Do You Get Your Work Into a Screendance Festival?

Screendance has existed since the invention of motion pictures. But this hybrid art form, which is also called “dance film” and “cinedance,” has remained a fringe genre of filmmaking—until now. During the pandemic, the screen has arguably become the most popular place for dancemakers to explore their craft. With the multitudes of screendance works now […]