WATCH: FLY ME TO THE MOON New Dance Film Released Featuring Vocals by Grammy Winner Ledisi

CandyBomber Productions has announced the release of a new dance film featuring the beloved classic "Fly Me to the Moon." Grammy Award winning R&B vocalist Ledisi lends her voice to the track, backed by multi-Grammy winners Patti Austin and trumpeter John Daversa, produced by eight-time Grammy Award winner Gregg Field. A stellar cast of dancers from Alonzo King LINES Ballet and San Francisco Ballet reference airplanes, parachutes, wings and propellers as they fly through the streets of San Francisco. The video had its world premiere yesterday as part of CBS Sunday Morning's "Sunday Matinee" series.

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The film commemorates the 100th birthday of Colonel Gail Halvorsen, the pilot known as the "Candy Bomber" during the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49, who recently survived Covid and is alive and well in Utah.

CandyBomber, a San Francisco-based production company producing live events and films that intersect music, dance and the visual arts, takes its name from Colonel Halvorsen's story. In 1948, Halvorsen was on a team of pilots who landed at Berlin's Tempelhof airport in an astounding food supply operation that kept two million West Berliners alive for over a year. He began dropping candy from his plane to starving children trapped inside West Berlin, a rogue act of generosity that captured imaginations, and eventually grew into an international movement that supplied over 23 tons of candy for the drops. The stories told by Germans who received the candy convey an appreciation for something far more meaningful than the coveted sweet treats. According to Col. Halvorsen, "It wasn't the candy. It was the fact that they were in trouble, and someone cared."

"I have met Col. Halvorsen on FaceTime and am meeting him in person May 11th," said Kate Duhamel. "I was moved by the stories of Germans whose lives were saved by the Americans, and I am deeply inspired by what the Candy Bomber stands for. I wanted to create a dance film that celebrates his 100th birthday and his story. I also wanted this video to give the artists involved a chance to keep working during Covid. It's one way I hope I am amplifying the Candy Bomber's example."

"Kate Duhamel is a passionate visionary. When we first discussed creating music for the film, her challenge was to tell the 70-plus year-old story of the "Candy Bomber" in contemporary dance and song; and Kate suggested a re-imagination of the Sinatra classic "Fly Me To the Moon" for a 2021 audience," said producer Gregg Field. "I brought in a favorite singer of Kate's, Ledisi, along with artist and arranger Patti Austin and avant-garde trumpet virtuoso John Daversa to bring their creative best. With Kate's guidance throughout the entire process, the musical element of the Candy Bomber's latest sortie was a joy-filled "Mission Accomplished".

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