Short dance films were screened at the culmination of Uncensored Bodies Xplore, a workshop for dance films facilitated by filmmakers Sherad Anthony Sanchez and Ruelo Zendo, which was organized by Contemporary Dance Network Manila (CDNM).
The screening was held at Dance Forum Studio alongside live dance performances featuring the choreographies of Sarah Samaniego, Ea Torrado, Mia Cabalfin and Rhosam Prudenciado.
Al Bernard Garcia performed his winning piece from the 2012 New Choreographers Competition of the sixth Wifi Body Independent Contemporary Dance Festival in 2012. Earlier this year, he performed this piece at Japan’s Yokohama Dance Collection Ex.
Choreographers who screened their films included Myra Beltran, Dance Forum founder and artistic director; Ea Torrado, independent artist; Rudolph Segundo, Chameleon Dance Theater; and dance majors from the University of the Philippines Dance Company.
Sanchez’s full-length “Imburnal” was screened at the 10th Jeonju International Film Festival, South Korea and won the Woosuk Award (Best Film) and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema award.
Lozendo’s full-length “Kolorete” won the Special Jury Prize in the 2008 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival, and his short film, “Simula,” was screened at the Singapore International Film Festival.
The workshop was held early May and had topics such as aesthetics, production, and developing film language for choreography.
Attendees for this workshop ended up being all choreographers and no filmmakers. Sanchez and Zendo saw this as a blessing in disguise as all the participants could start with a clean slate in filmmaking.
Origins
Uncensored Bodies is the film component of CDNM’s Wifi Body Independent Contemporary Dance Festival and has been screening dance films since 2006.
Wifi Body Festival had its last yearly installment in 2010 to become biannual with its most recent installment last year. To keep the momentum of the Uncensored Bodies component going and to bridge the gap until the 7th festival slated for 2014, CDNM organized the workshop this year.
“It’s meant for both dancers and filmmakers to refresh their perspectives in creating dance films, and to encourage collaboration,” says CDNM chair Angela Lawenko-Baguilat.
The workshop required participants to pitch their film ideas to the facilitators. Beltran, CDNM founding chair and current vice chair, said that the pitching sessions were so intensive that they would usually end past midnight.
After the pitches, each dance artist-filmmaker was tasked to complete their dance films through the month of May.
Participants of a recently concluded lighting design workshop held at Dance Forum Studio by Joseph Matheu, associate artistic director of Twin Bill Theater, designed the lighting of the live performances.
Call 0917-5760212 or e-mail cdnmdance@gmail. com.
