Documentary MISS HILL: MAKING DANCE MATTER Opens in New York, 1/23

Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter tells the inspiring and largely unknown story of Martha Hill, a visionary whose life was defined by her love for dance, and who successfully fought against great odds to establish modern dance as a legitimate art form in America.

In a career spanning most of the 20th century, Martha Hill became a behind-the-scenes leader of the dance world as the founding director of The Juilliard Dance Division, a position she held from 1952-85. Stylistically weaving together over 90 years of archival footage featuring Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Jose Limon , Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor and more, the film is a celebration of dance and an examination of the PASSION required to keep it alive. Miss Hill is also a remarkable chronicle of the tense battle over how the newly commissioned LINCOLN Center would apportion coveted funding and rehearsal space between Hill's Juilliard dance division and LINCOLN Kirstein and George Balanchine's School of American Ballet.

Director Greg Vander Veer conducts lively interviews with Hill's friends and intimates including key players across generations of dance history: Robert Battle(Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Charles Reinhart (former Director of American Dance Festival), premiere ballerina Heather Watts, Ohad Naharin (Batsheva Dance Company), dance critic Deborah Jowitt and acclaimed choreographers Paul Taylor and Martha Clarke.

'Defiance [and] tenacity, animated Hill's life, and it drives 'Miss Hill' forward, too. Archival footage distills the essence of a time when American concert dance, like never before, sought to comment on society rather than escape from it... We also get a thorough history of the Juilliard dance department, its initially groundbreaking curriculum of warring genres (ballet and modern dance) and its near-demise at the hands of George Balanchine and LINCOLN Kirstein, an episode in which matters of money, power, real estate, politics and national identity collide.'
- Siobhan Burke, The New York Times

Director Greg Vander Veer's award winning film Keep Dancing was an official selection at over 25 international film festivals and was nominated for International Documentary Association's 2010 Distinguished Documentary Award. In 2012, Greg was one of twelve filmmakers chosen as Independent Filmmaker Project's Emerging Vision Fellow and was also selected to participate in the Film Society of LINCOLN Center's Artists Academy. He also serves as president of the board of directors for Dance Films Association.

Coordinating Producer Vernon Scott obtained a BFA from Juilliard in 1985, the same year as Martha Hill's last year as director. He danced with many companies, among them Elisa Monte, Steven Petronio, Pilobolus, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris and 8 years as dancer and Rehearsal Coordinator with Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project. He has been involved with event production as Director of Development at 360° Dance Company, National Public Relations Manager for Aga Ranges, Venue Manager for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and currently Special Events Manager at Baryshnikov Arts Center. He serves as president of the board of directors of the Martha Hill Dance Fund.

Watch the trailer here.

Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter
2014, 80 minutes
Directed by Greg Vander Veer
Executive Produced by Martha Hill Dance Fund
Edited by Elisa Da Prato
Cinematography by Peter Buntine
Music by Florent Ghys

Opens January 23 at Quad Cinemas
Q+A with filmmakers Greg Vander Veer and Vernon Scott following Friday & Saturday 7PM andSaturday & Sunday 4:30PM shows.

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