Ghostly Labor: A Dance Film
John Jota Leaños, Vanessa Sanchez
mexico
“Ghostly Labor: A Dance Film” explores the history of labor in the US–Mexico borderlands through Tap Dance, Mexican Zapateado, Son Jarocho, Afro Caribbean movement, and live music. This work brings together polyrhythmic movement and an original score to look at the (ongoing) years of systemic exploitation of labor while highlighting the power and joy of collective resistance.
Based on farmworker interviews in California, this excerpt honors the sacred hands that feed us and was filmed on a farm with support from Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS), a non-profit advocacy organization for farmworkers in Half Moon Bay, CA. A full-length dance theater production of Ghostly Labor will premiere in 2023.
Obstructed View
Mitchell Rose
UK/USA
When we can't see all, what we do see we see anew. Here, 70 women weave together a choreographic thread from Bebe Miller.
POP
Jay Amin
UK
A young Ghanaian teenage hawker (street vendor) who sells biscuits is going about his daily grind, when he sees a pink balloon floating across the dusty streets of Accra, The balloon leads the boy to stumble upon a scene that is unfamiliar to him. Confused yet inspired by what he sees he is encouraged to break the confines of his mundane routine. The boy begins to dance, for a moment he is lost in movement, embracing his repressed youthful energy.
RED LINE
Irishia Hubbard
USA
The flight or flight response to trauma in bodily form. Red Line examines the resilience of a Black woman in the face of allostatic load. Her reality is multidimensional, and her existence challenges the redlining of her identity.
MOVE
Bernardo Alevato, Taianne Oliveira
BRAZIL
An experiment with time, form and movement in a generative dance film using AI and video
Give, Up, Give up
Nailong Song
CHINA
Is the image "created" or "recorded"? This question is the original intention of the production of the work. It tells a story about three stinky craftsmen who cannot withstand a single Zhuge Liang. The three companions were enthusiastic, but they didn't come up with anything. I got into the cage I made for myself, but I couldn't jump out and was still proud of myself. If this entire process is considered creative, what have we created? If this is just a record, have we saved the time that has passed? We choose to create through the lens, which records our foolishness and insignificance.
