- And We Will Dance peeks into the lives of incredibly gifted dance students at the UNC School of the Arts. The audience will get a first-hand look into the passionate intensity and the phenomenal dedication these young dancers exude in pursuit of their dreams.—Steve Childs
- And We Will Dance is presented through the perspective of professional artist Steve Childs, who has sketched and painted dance imagery for over twenty-five years. Now in his filmmaking debut, as cameraman and director, he takes the audience on a visually stimulating journey into the often private world of dancers, to vicariously experience their blood, sweat, and tears. It is rare to be allowed into a dance studio, Childs explained. Even after he obtained special permission to visit the NCSA campus, he still needed to tread carefully on instructors turf. Childs worked patiently to build rapport, eventually overcoming reluctance from even the most wary teachers. This has been the thrill of a lifetime for me, to have been allowed into their lives, notes the director. I have great respect for these kids these young adults. Over the past six months Ive been shooting, Ive developed bonds with students and instructors which have enabled me to get the shots and interviews I needed, which make this an endearing film.
And We Will Dance follows dancers as they collaborate in classrooms, studios, and rehearsals. You will hear these extraordinary young athletes' stories in their own voices, as they are consumed by the need to express themselves physically through dance. Whether they experience success or setbacks, these energetic dancers buoyantly continue to push for perfection. They persevere in spite of pain, fatigue and injuries. Somehow, they maintain balance between their roles as competitors, versus their fiercely loyal friendships. Its hard not to be inspired by their discipline and dedication.
Interspersed between exploration of these dancers lives is a look into the creative thoughts and drive behind Steve Childs intrigue for painting these and other dancers for the past quarter of a century. And We Will Dance includes shots of his dance paintings, some are finished while over works are in progress.
Steve Childs has long dreamed of creating this documentary film, to express what he found he couldnt completely express through his paintings: For years, Ive created two-dimensional images, whether pencil sketches or pastels, or oil paintings. Each piece represents a moment of beauty that I have experienced. Each piece represents my attempt to express motion and fullness by translating it onto a still, flat, format: a rectangle of canvas hanging on a wall. Walking into a gallery opening of my work brought me one step closer to a sense of movement, or of wholeness, as I was able to see all at once a collection, a series, of dozens of these representations of moments of beauty.
At first the audience will see abstract, surreal glimpses of a dancer, like painterly brushstrokes coming alive, as they are augmented by the multiple dimensions of movement and sound. This film contains a series of vignettes of varying degrees of intimacy and depth, tied together by the story of the students passion for dance. Some vignettes are fleeting, sensory sketches; others dig deeper into understanding the dancers motivation toward perfection. Throughout this film the audience will be treated to a more-than-satisfying dose of the sheer beauty of dance. Visual delights are accompanied by aural delights, including the gypsy punk band Luminescent Orchestrii, Tina Malia, Jeff Black and others.
To film many of the shots, Childs was basically dancing along with the students. He often caught himself so winded that the microphone picked up his own gasping for breath instead of the dancers. Jokingly, he considered re-naming the film And We Will Sweat.
A parallel, beneficial aspect to this film is Childss involvement with NCSA film students. Both film director and film students learn from their serendipitous collaboration. Cameraman Childs and cameraman Will Elder delighted in admiring complementary views the other had overlooked. Childs is as amazed by the passion and dedication of these film students toward their craft as by the intensity of the dance students.
And We Will Dance is a documentary film including formal and on-the-fly interviews. It focuses on four students as they are instructed in technique, expression, and presentation. It documents their progression from the very first rehearsal to the final performance on stage.
Director Steve Childs says, I want to bring more beauty into this world through this film. Visit an unfamiliar, hidden world and be treated to sensory beauty and inspiration.
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