SSF @ Museum of Boulder: Festival Premiere 2024

21st ANNUAL FESTIVAL SEASON PREMIERE

AUG 30, AUG 31 + SEPT 1, 2024 @ Museum of Boulder

  • 6:45pm installations, VR, and live performance
  • 7:30pm rooftop patio screening
  • burrito bowls by T/aco
  • beer, wine, and concessions

Join Sans Souci for a night to remember as we return to The Museum of Boulder to celebrate the opening of our 21st season!

You’ll enter like a star through a VIP red carpet photo area…it is a film festival, after all! Grab a local brew or glass of wine, and check out the virtual reality dance films and the film installations looping throughout the Museum before the screening for an intimate experience with select films. Take a peek at the Museum’s open exhibits and delight in the magic of live dance performance on your way to pick up your pre-purchased burrito bowls on the rooftop patio.

The main event will begin at 7:30pm as we embark on a screening of our new season’s top scoring dance films. As always, our selections are submitted from around the world and curated by a panel of professional dance filmmakers to bring you the most cutting edge work in the realm where dance and cinema collide.

Museum of Boulder logo
Museum of Boulder
2205 Broadway St
Boulder, CO 80302

Accessibility: handicap parking, wheelchair seating available upon request, elevator to roof, all installations accessible.

with support from
Boulder Arts Commission logoBoulder County Arts Alliance logoCreate Boulder logoCity of Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau logo

the Sans Souci Premiere includes:

film screening trailer

a silhouette of a woman tap dancing on a bench; part of the Sans Souci logo

live performances

What Now: Do we follow the footsteps of our ancestors…?
-diverging from the white norm-

All together four site specific performances will be shown during Premiere weekend before the screening (6:45 – 7:30), during intermission, and after the screening.

a person's face and left hand press into a wall of thin white fabric, lit harshly to accentuate the shadows

What Now…? is a genuine attempt from three white artists to address this crossroads that especially white people stand on right now: we cannot turn right and follow the footsteps of our ancestors and maintain white supremacy, privileges and the exploitation of planet Earth. We cannot go straight following already paved roads, thought forms, habits of war, and convenient use of harmful infrastructure. We cannot turn left and start yet another revolution with more resulting trauma.

What Now…? is directed by Tanja London, with artistic collaborators Nicholas Travers and Damian Leuthold.

TAIL OF THE KNIGHT

conceptualized and performed by Tanja London
Inspired by her past life memories excavated by holotropic breathing, the performer examines her soul ancestry as well as karmic imprint as a former knight. She philosophizes about how the cruelty of the Middle Ages became the cruelty of European colonialism.

basement (Playzeum courtyard)
6:55 – 7:10pm

INNER/OUTER MAP…?

conceptualized and performed by Nicholas Travers
The performer questions the logic of personal inner and outer boundaries. A set of randomly thrown blocks and the task to only touch these blocks while traveling through space is the starting point of this somatic journey into transformation.

2nd floor (Boulder Experience exhibit)
7:10 – 7:25pm + intermission

FOOT STEPS

conceptualized and performed by Damian Leuthold
-with audience interactivity-
Tiles with engraved footprints are laid in the exhibit, inviting reflection, relationship to the space, and history. Audience is invited to share stories with each other about their own history.

1st floor (Black History exhibit)
7:10 – 7:25pm + intermission

UNTANGLE

conceptualized and performed by Tanja London
This performance art piece grapples directly with the performer’s own Nazi family history.

outside (entrance patio)
post show

film installations

These installations are available during Premiere weekend before the screening (6:45 – 7:30), during intermission, and after the screening.

International Films – All Ages
in the Mason’s Nook

Local Films – PG-13
in the The Lodge

Local Films – All Ages
in the Boulder Experience Theater

International Films – All Ages

second floor (Mason’s Nook)

from a distance, at dusk, we see a dancer facing the moon, arms extended out to the sides and knees bent in parallel

Osmose

2024 / France / 5 min

music video

Directed by Eva Motreff
Produced by C. Larsen
Dancing by Tao Zhang
Written by Eva Motreff

A man alone in a lunar landscape experiences the transition from light to night.

through an open window, we see a woman in a winter jacket appearing to walk on water

Passerby

2024 / United States / 5 min

music video

Directed by Hart Ginsburg
Choreography and Dancing by Anthony Taylor
Music Composition and Performance by Kelsey Mira
Cinematography by Hart Ginsburg
Edited by Ivana Contreras

Inspired by political theorist and author Dr. Achille Mbembe’s perspective on human existence as “le passant,” our film Passerby explores diasporic themes through dance, music and poetry. We are influenced by surrealism, avant-garde and abstraction as forms of storytelling through humanistic ways.

a composite image including a man's reflection and a city skyline with a section in the shape of a person removed from it

here and there, now and then

2024 / Canada / 7 min

hybrid/performance documentation

Directed by Cheryl Pagurek
Dancing by Rion Taylor, Wyeth Walker
Music Composed by Jesse Stewart

watch the trailer

While interacting with Cheryl Pagurek’s States of Being video and sound installation, dancers Rion Taylor and Wyeth Walker move fluidly through space and time. They traverse public and private locations, inhabit physical and virtual realms, and explore connections and relationships between the past, the present and an uncertain future. Their movements unite black and white film footage with contemporary video recordings, while building a compelling soundscape with composer Jesse Stewart’s music.

Local Films – PG-13

second floor (The Lodge)

a woman wearing a white dress rests in a man's arms in front of a painting of flowers and branches

Venus in Ferns

2023 / United States / 8 min

Directed by Laura Rachel Conway
Produced by Michelle Ellsworth
Dancing by Elle Huong
Written by Laura Conway, Charlotte Conway

Venus in Ferns uses Victorian gardening advice columns from the 1800s as its primary source material. These early examples of self-help texts now appear absurd in the way they reinscribe toxic gender scripts. By quoting these texts verbatim, the film prompts viewers to contemplate how contemporary self-help may appear equally absurd to future generations. What results is a squabbling mix of dance, camp, drag, terrible re-enactment and farce.

ten dancers in brightly colored clothing collapse on a stage

Innate Stimulate

2024 / United States / 8 min

first-time filmmaker

Directed by Megan Roney
Produced by Michelle Bernier
Choreography by Sydney Preston, Lara Lea Roney, Megan Roney
Dancing by Max Aylin, Kayla Clark, Aleighya Dawkins, Chris Hatfield, Brittney Hietala, Natalie Jackson, Laura Morales, Greg Morgan, Sydney Preston, Lara Lea Roney, Nathaniel Roney, Mykayla Solorio
Guest Performances by Leo Luna Barraza, Ximena Luna Barraza, Mason Butts, Izan Nichols, Knox Nichols
Cinematography by Scott Roland
Edited by Scott Rowland
Lighting Design by Scott Roland, Nathaniel Roney, and Ryan Wheale
Featuring Visual Artwork byKurt Redeker and Dan Bishop
Original Music by Thunderboogie
Costumes by Grandma’s Pajamas

Follow the bass to the place where the beat moves your feet, and catch a dose of dopamine on the dance floor. This film was created as a part of Sans Souci Festival’s Community Dance Film Project, with funding from the City of Boulder Arts & Culture. Additional funding provided by Amelia Burnett, Denise Busch, Edward Katz, Nicole Pielage, Lara Lea Roney, Nathaniel Roney, Marlene & Craig Roney. Shot on Location at Knew Conscious.

Local Films – All Ages

second floor (Boulder Experience Theater)

a dark skinned woman with long hair thrusts her chest toward the ceiling of a nearly empty bedroom

Home|Room

2024 / United States / 5 min

first-time filmmaker

Directed by Keith Haynes
Produced by Michelle Bernier
Choreography by Keith Haynes in collaboration with dancers
Cinematography by Jesse Rarick
Dancing by Vivian Kim, Jessica Bertram Williams, Keith Haynes
Music Composed by Josh Torrison

I feel confined/stuck. In this home. In this room. In this mind. Confined to both psychological and physical space. Stuck in a continuous, never ending loop. Ever changing but staying the same. I feel confined…stuck in this Home/Room. This film was created as a part of Sans Souci Festival’s Community Dance Film Project, with funding from the City of Boulder Arts & Culture.

from directly above, we see a woman wearing a garment of black crow feathers tilting her head back slightly

Black Crow

2024 / United States / 4 min

music video

Directed by Erika Anne Randall
Performance by Marie-Juliette Bird

The crow as harbinger. Shot locally with footage from The Boulder Flood.

six young girls wearing bright colors face the sky at dusk; several are leaning on each other

Running the Clock

2024 / United States / 4 min

Directed by Michelle Bernier
Choreography by Dancers of MADE Dance Company at Mountain Contemporary Dance Arts
Dancing by Dancers of MADE Dance Company at Mountain Contemporary Dance Arts
Cinematography by Michelle Bernier
Edited by Michelle Bernier and the dancers
Music by Ben Sound
Facilitated by Kaitlyn McMorran, Summer Templin-Culp, Ashley Stephan
Special Thanks to Anna Navares

Reflecting on the passage of time in childhood and its tendency to accelerate exponentially, young dancers improvise and perform choreography that makes them feel happy, confident, and strong. This work was filmed at Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm, and the piece is dedicated to the women who forge paths for us that we may follow, expand, and improve upon for those who follow us.

three young girls contort their bodies in an indoor art exhibit with several colorful pieces affixed to the walls

driprunfreezecrackmelt

2024 / United States / 3 min

Directed by Michelle Bernier
Choreography by Dancers of Boulder Ballet School
Dancing by Dancers of Boulder Ballet School
Cinematography by Michelle Bernier
Edited by Michelle Bernier and the dancers
Music by Sean Connolly
Sound Design by Michelle Bernier
Poem/Narration by Isabel Sartori
Visual Art by Roberta Begaye (Diné/Navajo)
Facilitated by Andrea Basile, Claire Davison, and Leah Baylin
Special Thanks to Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective and Marty Strenczewilk (Ojibwe)

How does water move like a body? What is the interplay between dancing and water? Channeling their innate connection to water, the dancers were deeply moved and inspired to create this work and include footage of the paintings from the exhibit “Weaving Prayers: from Ocean’s Edge to Mesa’s Ledge” by artist Roberta Begaye (Diné/Navajo) at the Sacred Space at Dairy Arts Center.

virtual reality installation

The films in this special installation are viewed through virtual reality headsets and are available before the screening (6:45 – 7:30), during intermission, and after the screening. To experience this installation, you must sign up in person at the Google Garage on the second floor and then be on time for your reserved time slot!

second floor (Google Garage)

a dark skinned man doing the splits on roller skates in a bowling alley; the image's perspective is distorted because it is intended to be viewed in a 360-degree virtual reality headset

Before We Flew Like Birds We Flew Like Clouds: Maurice Hall

2017 / United States / 4 min

Produced and Directed by Gretchen Burger
Cinematography by Jacob Fennell
Sound Design by K.T. Niehoff
360° Audio Post by Ray Trujillo
Interview Recording by Michael Kozzi
Edited by Gretchen Burger
Casting by Norma Jean Straw
Technical Director Jacob Fennell
Production Assistant Shelby Smout
Executive Producer K.T. Niehoff

This 360 video profile of professional speed racer and dancer Maurice Hall is part of a larger project and exploration created by KT Niehoff: Before We Flew Like Birds, We Flew Like Clouds. The project illuminates the experiences of four humans with extraordinary relationships to their bodies – an astronaut, a professional athlete, a survivor of a near death experience and a differently abled person – using Virtual Reality films, prerecorded and live music staged inside a floating, immersive set of star-like objects, and centers on the question, “What is it like to be in your body?” Each contributor’s personal stories are integrated in the installation through audio interviews sampled and used in score. The film component consists of four Virtual Reality short films created in partnership with the contributor’s – each as the subject matter of their own film. Thank you to Maurice Hall, Ray Trujillo, Shelby Smout, Southgate Roller Rink, and Chris Bobotis.

twelve dancers stand on an elevated platform with their right arms extended and index fingers pointing to a location out of frame

Mira

2018 / Brazil / 7 min

Directed by Inês Bogéa, Luciano Cury
Produced by João Marcello Bôscoli
Choreography by Milton Coatti
Featuring São Paulo Companhia de Dança
Dancing by Ammanda Rosa, Ana Paula Camargo, Ana Roberta Teixeira, André Grippi, Beatriz Hack, Daniel Reca, Geivison Moreira, Letícia Forattini, Luiza Yuk, Matheus Queiroz, Michelle Molina, Nielson Souza, Otávio Portela, Renata Peraso e Vinícius Vi
Cinematography by Panogramma
Music Composed by Winter 3, Max Richter Recomposed (Vivaldi – The Four seasons)
Music Performed by Max Richter, Daniel Hope

This film brings the viewer into the choreography in an immersive sensory experience, which puts the audience as an integral part of the work. The name refers to the star Mira, a red giant of the brightest of the constellation Cetus, that changes appearance significantly in cycles of 304 to 353 days. It also refers to the verb “mirar,” from the Latin “miro,” which means to see, to look with astonishment or intensity or long in the distance, to admire.

21st annual festival premiere screening

This screening runs approximately 85 minutes, including at 15-minute intermission. It is recommended for viewers age 12 and up due to two films containing adult language and one film containing partial nudity.

museum rooftop @ 7:30pm

an overhead shot of a shirtless dark skinned man wearing a extremely long dark green vinyl skirt and lying on his back

Organized Hope

2024 / United States / 6 min

Directed by Amy Seiwert
Produced by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery
Choreography by Amy Seiwert
Dancing by James Gilmer
Music Composed by Daniel Bernard Roumain
Edited by Ben Estabrook, Amy Seiwert
Stopmotion by Aaron Kierbel
Libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph

Inspired by Kintsugi, the traditional Japanese craft of repairing broken ceramics using lacquer mixed with gold and the belief that something can be more beautiful through the stresses endured. Seiwert asked herself: coming out of an era that broke many of us, can we be re-formed? Can we create something both stronger and more beautiful?

a black and white photo of a dancer wearing baggy white clothes gesturing animatedly at a parked car in a barren landscape

Morning Interlude

2024 / France / 7 min

Directed by Sirius
Produced by Sirius, Julien Manunta
Dancing by Robinson Cassarino, Lilou
Written by Sirius

At daybreak on a country road, a young couple returns from a restless night visibly exhausted. Angry with each other the couple will in a magnetic dance try to reconcile.

a light skinned woman with short blond hair wearing a black tuxedo squats powerfully on a vast landscape of sand and points off frame

Not Now

2024 / United Kingdom / 4 min

Directed by Joshua Molony, Loughlan Prior
Produced by Milou-Mai Law
Choreography by Loughlan Prior
Dancing by Rebecca Bassett Graham
Cinematography by Joshua Molony
Edited by Joshua Molony, Loughlan Prior

watch the trailer

A dance film starring Rebecca Bassett Graham (of Company Wayne McGregor) about climate change and the consequences of our inaction. Filmed on the Norfolk coast.

an older woman leans her head comfortably on the hand of a childhood friend

Walks With Me (Käy Rinnallain)

2021 / Finland / 11 min

Directed by Kati Kallio
Produced by Elli Isokoski, Outi Rousu
Choreography by Kati Kallio
Dancing by Ritva Kattelus, Elli Hirvikoski, Kerttu Luhtala, Aino Virkki, Lydia Ponkiniemi, Antero Lehtonen, Elina Härynen, Marjukka Savolainen, Jukka Tarvainen, Nelli Saarelainen, Ervi Sirén, Sisko Kinnunen
Music composed by Janne Laine
Cinematography by Antti Ahokoivu
Edited by Kati Kallio
Costume Design by Niina Huovinen
Makeup by Laura Herttua

80-year-old Sanna lives alone with her memories and houseplants. One day Sanna sees an event from her window that makes her reminisce about her friends and notice her own loneliness.

a man in a dark furry robe stretches in a field, surrounded by a group of dancers in white feathered costumes

Beast (Bestia)

2022 / Poland / 9 min

Directed by Iwona Pasińska
Produced by Polish Dance Theatre
Featuring Polish Dance Theatre
Music Composed by Michał Lorenc, Michał Blicharz – EHO
Cinematography by Marek Grabowski
Edited by Natalia Jacheć
Set & Costume Design by Andrzej Grabowski
Makeup by Adriana Cygankiewicz

watch the trailer

Eeny meeny miny humpy not your son nor your daughter eeny meeny rumpy-pumpy cling cling lamb for slaughter. Which species is the biggest predator? Behind seven lakes, seven hills, seven forests, there is a seemingly idyllic land. And in it, as if by magic, an unexpected meeting happens not only once but three times. The first time, as if from a flying carpet, we see an animalistic figure in the thicket. The second time, we observe a frisky animal herd colliding with otherness. For the third and final meeting, the moment when a man enters the ordered world of nature. How does the relationship between animals differ from the relationship between humans and animals? This is asked by the creators of the sixth choreographic film project by the Polish Dance Theatre.

15-minute intermission

five dancers sit in a circle on the floor of a room under soft, warm lighting

Burn From The Inside

2024 / United Kingdom / 10 min

Directed by Mthuthuzeli November
Produced by Richard Bolton
Dancing by Ballet Black
Cinematography by Nauris Buksevics
Executive Producer Cassa Pancho
Lighting Design by David Plater

Burn from the Inside is not your typical narrative work. It delves into the exploration of music and its origins, examining why we have an innate desire to dance or move when we hear music, sound, or voices. It seeks to understand the essence of what triggers our movements and the emotional responses evoked by music. – Mthuthuzeli November The profound question arises: why do certain things compel us to jump up and dance, while others make us want to sit back and do the opposite? The most significant realisation in this exploration is that from the very beginning, we were destined to be moved by sounds.

two adjacent square rooms each with a dancer moving in front of modern looking furniture - the room on the right is upside down

Layers

2023 / Slovenia / 9 min

Directed by Michal Rynia, Nastja Bremec Rynia, Fabris Šulin
Dancing by Nastja Bremec Rynia, Michal Rynia
Music Composed by Mateja Starič
Camera Assistance by Aljaz Novak

Layers is a contemporary dance film that artfully explores the intricate layers of human connections, delving into the multifaceted nature of relationships, emotions, and personal journeys. By interweaving scenes from intimate home environments with industrial settings, the film symbolizes the complexities and interconnectedness of our daily lives, navigating the juxtaposition of personal and professional roles. Through visually representing the juxtaposition of home and work, Layers invites viewers to contemplate the intricate layers of human experience and the delicate balance between different facets of our lives. Ultimately, the film offers a profound exploration of the complexities inherent in the human experience and the interplay between work and personal identity.

a wide shot of two dancers - one in a black suit and one in a peach dress - stand facing each other near the edge of a roof

If I Were You

2024 / United States / 9 min

first-time filmmaker

Directed by Margot Gelber, Rebecah Goldstone
Produced by Jessie Lee Thorne
Dancing by Marlie Couto, Jessie Lee Thorne

In If I Were You a couple shares an oscillating dance of intention and disruption–their movements a continuous exchange of support and potential peril, pushing them toward self-discovery. Falling into known patterns, but desperate to shift, they beckon and reject each other, careening toward togetherness. This is a slow, exhausting, mesmerizing dance, steeped in the unknown, where souls wait patiently to be held, released, and resolved.

in a room with a famous ballet playing on a screen behind him, a light skinned male ballet dancer with blonde hair faces the camera, naked except for a dance belt

Twisted Mind

2024 / France / 5 min

Directed by Nathan Benisty
Produced by Libelo productions, Valentine Wurtz, Mélisse label
Dancing by Cauê Frias
Music by Édouard Ferlet
Cinematography by Julie Chevailler, Sylvain Séchet
Edited by Nathan Benisty
Script by Perrine Lacamp
Acting by Isabelle Perrodeau

A clinical white room, plunged into darkness. In the half-light, a male figure on a granite table. A large one-way glass panel fills one wall. In the adjacent room, behind the glass, a woman turns a potentiometer on the control panel. In the room, the light comes on and the character gradually opens his eyes. With a robotic gesture, he stands up and sits on the edge of the table. His perfect features and the precision of his gestures suggest he is not really human.

silhouetted, two pairs of dancers face each other with hands on each other's shoulders

You Are Enough

2022 / Austria/France / 9 min

Directed by Lisa Magnan
Produced by Lisa Magnan
Dancing by Elda Gallo, Cindy Villemin, Luan De Lima, Thales Weilinger
Cinematography by Manon Pichon
Set Design by Artemiy Shokin
Costume Design by Johanna Hofbauer

You Are Enough encourages self-acceptance and growth through embracing imperfection! This dance film talks about identity, diversity, singularity. Follow 4 individuals on their journey sharing life’s singular moments and experimenting the beauty and complexity of humanity with poetry, sensibility, and humor. You Are Enough is an ode to self acceptance, it’s a love shoot to accept ourself as we really are and stop being afraid of not being beautiful/legitimate/smart/competent/interesting/… enough, for doing what we really want to do. This film is made through a series of sequence shots of almost 10min, where the dancers appear and disappear in the field of the screen, where the DOP, 5th dance partner, is creating a choreography with them as well.

That’s all, folks! We hope you enjoyed the screening. If you have a moment, please take our audience survey.