Circuit Arts’ 25th-Anniversary Celebration Presents...

THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD
DANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17
The Grange Hall, West Tisbury

Join us for the second annual Martha's Vineyard Dance Film Festival, a captivating fusion of dance and cinema. Building on the success of last year, this festival returns with another dedicated celebration of dance on film, now in its second year as a stand-alone event.

PRESENTED BY CIRCUIT ARTS AND PRODUCED BY CIRCUIT STAGE

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Friday, May 16

7 PM DANCE FILM SHORTS: EXPLORING OUR HUMANITY

Saturday, May 17

5 PM THE TRUTH IS…

7 PM DANCING IN A-YARD

*All film screenings require the booking of individual tickets, which are general-admission and pay-what-you-can. Please scroll to purchase, and for more information*

DANCE SHORT FILMS:
EXPLORING OUR HUMANITY

Friday, May 16
7 PM

52 min.
This year’s program explores our shared human experience. Touching on themes of connection, grief, joy, freedom, and the complexities of relationships, these films transcend our troubled times to reveal what holds us together rather than what drives us apart. 

A SHORTS PROGRAM FEATURING

  • DisInteGrated

    Dirs. Wade Robson and Tony Testa | Dance Short | U.S.A. | 2021 | 6 min.

    This is a mind-bending meditation of movement and sound, on letting go of what was and surrendering to what is.

  • I'M HERE

    Dir. Samantha Shay | Dance Short | U.K. | 2024 | 6 min.

    This is a short film born from rehearsals for Life in this House is Over. Inspired by Anton Chekhov, it explores the social awkwardness of grief and brings together artists from Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, and Teatr ZAR, to reflect on the lasting impact of Pina Bausch and Jerzy Grotowski.

  • LOST MIND

    Dir. Sara Silkin | Dance Short | U.S.A. | 2020 | 8 min.

    During a manic episode, BIG COAT wanders the streets of Los Angeles, searching for everything he has lost. When he runs into LITTLE COAT they attempt to put the pieces back together.

  • A NIGHT IN NAPOLI

    Dir. Lucia Lopez Sanchez | Dance Short | Spain | 2024 | 4 min.

    Sadly, all good things come to an end: life, family, and silver linings.

  • THE WINDOW

    Dirs. Sita Ostheimer and Christopher Evans | Dance Short | U.K. | 2013 | 7 min.

    The night starts with polite social conventions, but as the drinks flow and time passes, physical dialogue gradually unveils a deeper, more emotional and complex connection.

  • RIP, RICH D: DANCING IN THE RAIN

    Dir. Yoram Savion | Dance Short | U.S.A. | 2010 | 4 min. 

    One morning, the Oakland dance community awoke to the tragic news that D-real had lost his brother in an accident. That same day, dancers gathered at a street intersection to honor his memory through movement. A video of the tribute went viral, launching several dance careers and transforming the moment into a powerful symbol for both Oakland and the TURF dance movement.

Live dance performances by Abby Bender and Katie Federowicz Perez will take place throughout the screening, between the films.  

THE TRUTH IS…

Saturday, May 17
5 PM

1 hr.
This is an event that celebrates the universal truths of dance and art, the beauty of neurodiversity, and the basic human rights of dignity and freedom.

Join us for an inspiring short documentary and a dance film directed by Jordy Dik, the Dutch choreographer, community artist, and filmmaker who is the artistic leader of Compagnie Tiuri.

Following the screening, Martha’s Vineyard dance teacher Sandy Stone will teach a movement and text workshop exploring the foundational elements of the piece featured in the second film.

MUSES

Dir. Jordy Dik | Documentary | U.K. | 2024 | 28 min.

A spectator follows choreographer Jordy Dik, through the dancers and muses who move him most. The film centers on five performers from Compagnie Tiuri—an inclusive company of artists with and without intellectual disabilities—as they travel to London to collaborate with the acclaimed Shechter II, of the Hofesh Shechter Company, to create A Bird Named Mansour.

A BIRD NAMED MANSOUR

Dir. Jordy Dik | Dance Short | U.K. | 2024 | 17 min.

This film reflects the harsh reality of a world where children are forced to flee and leaders choose violence over peace. Inspired by birds as symbols of freedom, the film is a call for unity and a reminder that none of us is free until all of us are. What are we waiting for?

DANCING IN A-YARD

Saturday, May 17
7 PM

Dir. Manuela Dalle | Documentary | U.S.A. | 2023 | 1 hr. 30 min.

In prisons ruled by toxic masculinity, dancing is an absolute taboo. But at Lancaster’s A-Yard, near Los Angeles, a group of young men start a dance class led by French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. It quickly becomes an intoxicating escape from their grim reality, and they decide to create a dance show. In this exceptional context, the inmates engage with overwhelming sincerity, evoking their childhood, gang life, the crimes, the prison, and their desire for transformation. Beyond damaged lives and a prison system on the edge of the abyss, this film explores redemption and the capacity of human beings to reinvent themselves, when given a chance—and more importantly, how art and introspection can help see the light.