A New Year

By rights this should be a long post, since technically it would cover almost 6 months of unreported activity. On the other hand, on New Year's Day I edited a 2-minute video compilation of the work I made in 2020. I propose that viewing it will fill in most of the blanks - non-verbally.

 

While editing, I relived some of what I learned from in 2020, and for those of you with the inclination to read on, I hereby articulate it - verbally. 

Furthering voices other than my own.

Dancing is an Old Friend, in which Jenny & Leah led the way.

4th of July in which I was inspired to share some moments - including dancing - of Nyack's Black Lives Matter actions.

Out of Ruin, in which choreographers Miki & Danielle of Island Moving Company envisioned a world which I helped to make more visible.

A Different Day in which Rhode Island College students created movement, footage and text which I directed and edited remotely.

Taking time to let images register.

Brinks, with Daniel Wolff.

Drift of the World with Daniel Wolff

Re-imagining Tradition.

Through Her Eyes: A Newport Nutcracker Re-imagined. Again my role was to further the vision of the two choreographers, who in turn were tweaking a holiday - and local - tradition within the limitations imposed by the raging virus.

Nutcracker 2020 Re-imagined. Made for Ryde Youth Dance Ensemble, with students from Coupe Theater Studio where my son Amos grew up dancing. So in this case a holiday tradition combined with a family tradition. Shot locally, performed by children and supported by an army of volunteers.

There were a few other projects in 2020 - video versions of Ayiti & Evolution of a Silhouette with poet/husband Daniel Wolff, and the live project for the teenagers at Steffi Nossen which was scratched very early in the pandemic. It bears noting that I was actually paid for many of the above; you may have noticed that so much in the arts and elsewhere has moved online, which has meant that my skills as a director and editor are more in demand 

Since lockdown, I've dedicated myself to an ongoing Facebook project: posting of nature videos taken as a daily practice and as a gift to those who can't leave home. One of the housebound friends was Aileen Passloff - known to some of you through Her Magnum Opus - who enjoyed those images until early November. In an article called "The Artists We Lost in 2020," The New York Times quoted Aileen: 

"I was as strong and tireless and full of passion, and loved dancing as deeply as one could ever love anything." 

Today I posted Outside #246.

Which brings me to another New Year's reflection: might it be time for me to find a new way to communicate with friends, fans, family? That's where I post the news of Official Selections in film festivals in a more timely fashion, where you can find links to view recent projects, or trailers for them. You can also follow me on Vimeo. As for the list of where my work has been accepted, attached to this blogspot there's a rather impressive Filmography, if I do say so myself.

I'm not a fan of Facebook, but it's an immediate connection, albeit to a small pool of the above 3f's.  On the other hand, when I send out a reminder to check out my blogspot, I get a similarly small pool of responses. I hasten to add: since you happen to be reading this, I remain grateful that you swim in that pool, however small. And if you want to follow me on Facebook, well, you probably already do.

For now, Lord knows I don't have much interest in creating a website. So I've updated some of the links on the right which lead to actual press for some of what I've made recently: perhaps another silver lining of lockdown is that online presentations have become more print-worthy. Presumably, a few of you reading this are strangers who found their way here to learn more about me. 

For now, I'll continue with this mode of communication. In fact, during the dog days of 2020 I did archive all of the posts (which go back to 2006!) on an external hard drive, for inclusion in the archives at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts - if it ever re-opens. 

For now, I wish you the best that 2021 can offer.