Monday, June 5
PHARAOHS OF MEMPHIS (2014)
55 minutes, USA
Jookin’ is a form of dance that originated in Memphis in the 1980s. Originally a way to keep gang warfare at bay, there exists in present-day Memphis a tension between the pioneers of the game and the stars of today’s world. Characterized by in-depth interviews and breathtaking dance footage, Pharaohs of Memphis reveals the fascinating world of jookin’ – how the dancers reconcile the past, thrive in the present, and approach the future.
BLACK BALLERINA (2016)
57 minutes, USA
Set in the overwhelmingly white world of classical dance, Black Ballerina tells the stories of several black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. A story of passion, opportunity, and heartbreak that reaches beyond the ethereal world of ballet to engage viewers in larger issues of exclusion, equal opportunity and change
Tuesday, June 6
PRIMA (2013)
57 minutes, USA
Prima is a moving portrait of Larissa Ponomarenko, prima ballerina of the Boston Ballet, who has recently hung up her pointed shoes to pursue new avenues of self-expression. Through flashbacks to her journey from a difficult childhood and rigorous ballet training in Russia, to her emergence as the prima ballerina of a leading American ballet company, the film captures Larissa’s uniqueness as an artist of many emotional colors.
FINDING HEAVEN UNDER OUR FEET: MAKING OF MODERN DANCE (2017)
68 minutes, USA
A feature-length documentary film, Finding Heaven Under Our Feet: Making Modern Dance is a journey through time. Choreographer and dance historian, Dr. Jody Weber describes the roots of modern dance in the expressive dance movement of 19th century Boston, illustrating the art form’s ties to the early 20th century women’s rights movement. Seeing herself as an heir to these early innovators, Weber works with her Somerville-based dance company to address the elusive nature of the genre through community engagement, audience education and the ability of artists to use their work to tackle social and cultural issues, such as climate change and our relationship with the planet.
Wednesday, June 7
RIZE (2005)
86 minutes, USA
An American documentary movie starring Lil’ C, Tommy Johnson, also known as Tommy the Clown, and Miss Prissy. The documentary exposes the new dance forms known as Clowning and Krumping, which started in Los Angeles around the time of the 1992 riots that followed the Rodney King verdict. The film was written and directed by David LaChapelle.
A BALLERINA’S TALE (2015)
85 minutes, USA
A feature documentary on African American ballerina Misty Copeland that examines her prodigious rise, her potentially career ending injury alongside themes of race and body image in the elite ballet world.