At on of our rehearsals for the dance

So what happens when you have this crazy idea to combine a narrative film with contemporary dance? Well, I guess you make a narrative film with contemporary dance! For my most recent film (which I shot the weekend of February 20, 2015), I wanted to explore a man’s struggle to overcome his PTSD. I had recently been watching a lot of dance documentaries and was feeling very inspired (especially by late choreographer Pina Baush), and decided to add a dance sequence to my film, as a way to explore the psyche of my character. My only dilemma? Where am I, someone with very little knowledge of dance, going to find a choreographer? And, more importantly, will I have the means to cast my dancers? Thankfully, Columbia College Chicago has a very large dance program, both for undergraduate students AND graduate students. Keep reading to find out more about my partnership with CCC’s graduate Dance and Movement Therapy program.

My producer introduced me to Ashlea Palafox about a month and a week before principle photography. Ashlea is a current member of the DMT cohort, in her second year. Ashlea, who has never worked on a film prior to this experience, was nervous, excited, and intrigued all at the same time. She was ready to accept the challenge of choreographing a seven minute dance in less than a month (we still needed to cast our dancers at this point). With filmmaking, it is all about find answers where it seems like there is no answer. As we struggled to acquire a choreographer, and principle photography was fast approaching, my producer remembered meeting Ashlea at our Orientation at the beginning of the school year. On a whim, she asked Ashlea to join our project. Without hesitation, Ashlea agreed.

One of the coolest moves, making a wave with the bodies

I learned that even in the hardest times, when it seems like everything is going wrong, and you can’t find what you are looking for, try looking in the unexpected places. My producer did just that and found us one of the most talented, dedicated, and enthusiastic partners that I could have hoped for.

The entire experience was a learning experience for me and for Ashlea. Neither of us had worked in the other’s medium, so the process was like a crash course on filmmaking and dance. Because both of us are extremely eager people, up for just about any challenge, we were able to succeed.

Casting dancers, I learned, is very similar to casting actors. While dancing and acting are two entirely separate things, they are both forms of expression that respond well to direction. Ashlea watched how I talked to the dancers and was able to translate if they didn’t quite understand my meaning. Through the process of watching Ashlea coach the dancers through auditions, I learned how to communicate more efficiently, but also learned new tricks to help when I am working with actors. I learned that actors also respond to physical explanations and movement motifs.

One of the principle dancers rehearsing his solo

The process of actually choreographing the dance was one of the most exciting parts of the production. Ashlea and I wanted the dance to be an entirely collaborative effort. We combined our thoughts with the ideas and suggestions from our dancers to create a piece that we were all proud of. We let the dancers improvise their movements to find what worked and what didn’t. We discussed a whole range of possibilities, but it was always a group discussion. I learned dance terminology and felt confident expressing my desires for the direction of the dance.

One thing I took away from this experience was that the creative process is inherently collaborative. I was able to mix expressive mediums, but the process was not drastically different if I had remained in film. I was amazed at how naturally our conversations came when talking about the dance, or ever discussing the movement of the camera through the bodies.

My cast and team were incredible. I loved working with Ashlea and her cohort.