Films.Dance Continues With SIT STILL Featuring 7-year-old Krump Dancer

Films.Dance, a groundbreaking new global film series produced by and under the creative direction of LA-based Jacob Jonas The Company continues on March 29 with SIT STILL, the tenth of 15 short dance films to be released at no cost every Monday through May 8, 2021. SIT STILL will be followed by GALOPE on April 5, XENO on April 12, and TORN on April 19.

The films will premiere at 9 a.m. PST on the Web at Films.Dance, on Instagram on the @films.dance account, and the Films.Dance Facebook page. Films.Dance is co-presented by the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Chicago's Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater.

Alone in a vacant school, Montreal-based filmmaker Vincent René-Lortie directs seven-year-old Adeline Kerry Cruz on an intimate and exhaustive journey of self-expression. With choreography by Russell "Gutta" Ferguson, she navigates her emotions through the free and expressive street dance style Krump and to the original score by Brady Kendall of Alaskan Tapes. SIT STILL is produced by Jacob Jonas The Company.

New York City ballet principal dancer Gonzalo Garcia's energy is like a hundred thousand horses as he delves inside the earth, inside himself. Directed by Barcelona-based Nur Casadevall, it features original music from Alex Somers, composer for films including Captain Fantastic (2016), Honey Boy (2019) and Miss Americana (2020). Galope is produced by Jacob Jonas The Company.

Xeno is the smallest measurable unit of human connection, typically exchanged between passing strangers-a flirtatious glance, a sympathetic nod, moments that are fleeting and random but still contain powerful emotional nutrients that can alleviate the symptoms of feeling alone. Mexico City-based choreographer and founder of contemporary dance company Nohbords, Diego Mur created an original work on Montreal-based circus-artists Natasha Patterson and Sabine van Rensburg. Xeno is directed by Amy J. Gardner, with cinematography by Kristof Brandl and original music by Berlin-based Alice Phoebe Lou and Thor Rixon. Xeno is produced by Jacob Jonas The Company.

In this visual exploration of the expectations of manhood, three men fight for dominance while exposing the internal fight and dialogue with the self, embodied by the three protagonists. While each of them fights for dominance, they simultaneously expose their weaknesses, tearing each other down, lifting each other up and struggling to find support in moments of fading strength. Berlin-based director Torben Loth captures the original choreography of London-based Waddah Sinada, founder of FUBUNATION. The work is performed by Conal Finn Francis-Martin, Robert Robinson and Jamal Uhlmann, all dancers with State Ballet Hanover, and features an original sound design by Peter Duffy, original score by Pete Fraser and wardrobe by Chinese-born, London-based designer Feng Chen Wang. Torn is produced by Jacob Jonas The Company.

One of the most ambitious international dance film projects ever undertaken, Films.Dance engages more than 150 artists from 52 cities in 25 countries, culminating in 15 short films that have been shot during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Films.Dance is being made available to the public at no charge. Two of Los Angeles' foremost cultural organizations-the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts-have teamed up with Chicago's Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater to present Films.Dance.

Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by the vision of Jacob Jonas, the series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences. Filmed in locations ranging from Amsterdam, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, and London, to Los Angeles, New York, Nigeria, and Spain-Films.Dance exists at the intersection of dance, music, fashion, and film.

The films will premiere for free at 9 a.m. PST on the Web at Films.Dance, on Instagram on the @films.dance account, and the Films.Dance Facebook page. A series of weekly conversations and engagement events is in development and will allow for deeper exploration of the series themes, creative process, and perspectives of collaborating artists.

The initiative is presented in partnership with Somewhere Magazine, and co-presented by the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts/CSUN.

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