The Story
It all started on good ol' Ancestry.com. Like many online detectives, an interest in my heritage led me to research and compile the names, addresses, occupations, number of children borne and living, photos, and more of all these people I call "family." Looking at all of these bare-bones yet suggestive clues from up to 200 years ago, I started wondering what these people's lives really looked like. Would they seem like family or strangers to me if we met? Did anyone have strands of my own personality and emotional tendencies, within such a hugely different physical experience and time in the world? What experiences filtered down and live on in me and my siblings? What pieces do I have a responsibility to not forget?
Which led to research on genetic memory studies, epigenetics, and the theory of collective consciousness.
Which led to conversations with the two dancers I was working with at the time (at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London) and our own experiences within our families (what would we ask of our ancestors if we could? Are we angry at any of our "inheritances"?)
Which ultimately led to Deviation, Twice Removed (I), a duet that was produced in the Bonnie Bird Theater at Trinity Laban in June 2016. View the trailer:
After seeing the piece onstage (and fortuitously attending a screening of Zikzira Physical Theatre's gorgeous dance film As Cinzas de Deus around the same time), I couldn't stop picturing the concept as a film. Now, this idea is finally moving off the back burner! We have confirmed:
What We Need
Deviation, Twice Removed is funded in part by New England Foundation for the Arts' New England Dance Fund, with generous support from the Aliad Fund at the Boston Foundation. We are thrilled to have received this generous and crucial funding! The additional funds raised here will go towards covering:
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Dancers' Fees: We are happily squared away with fees for our talented filmmaker, and would like to be able to provide the same for our dancers and their valuable time and artistic contributions
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Costuming: Being able to purchase high quality garments for costuming will greatly add to the aesthetic and professionalism of the film
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Transportation: The shoot location is a 2+ hour drive away from our home base in Boston, and we would like to be able to reimburse that mileage
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Music: With your help, we will be able to support the supremely talented Josh Knowles as he composes an original score for the finished film
Impact
With your generous gift, you will be:
- Supporting the creation of a piece of collaborative, locally made, contemporary art! Four working artists in dance, film, and music will ultimately benefit from this project, and from your donation
- Helping to make contemporary dance, and its ability to shine light on timely human issues, more accessible to potential audiences through the medium of film
- Highlighting a beautiful hidden New England gem, and the amazing organization that preserves it
- Supporting an emerging choreographic voice to transition into bigger collaborations and more expansive work!
The Future!
After the shoot in June, the film will enter post-production/editing with the full film and trailer to be available by September 1, 2018.
We are planning to hold a premiere screening event in the Boston area sometime next fall, bringing the local dance, independent film, and our personal communities all together for a viewing and panel discussion with the artists. We hope to see all of you there! We will also be bringing the completed film around to dance and short film festivals - be sure to stay connected and see where Deviation, Twice Removed ends up!