Dance

Bella, is about the life, influence and impact of California-based artist and activist Bella Lewitzky. Designated one of America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures by the Dance Heritage Coalition Lewitzky’s life demonstrates how a “uniquely Californian” artist with vision and tenacity can change the lives of her fellow citizens.

HÍBRIDOS, THE SPIRITS OF BRAZIL is an ethnomusicological journey into the sacred culture of Brazil, from Roman Catholic to Ubanda and candomblé--mixures of African traditions with Catholicism.

The Detroit-based performance ensemble, The Hinterlands, practice a form of ecstatic training which they see as a provocation towards the unknown. The “hinterlands” evokes an unknown space both physical and imaginary whose mystery is its very source of generation and from which true creativity emerges. Their practice is one of ecstatic play, of finding the edge of one’s balance, and the limits of one’s body.

In a remote Haitian village there is a dance with slaves and masters: the whipping zombie ritual. To trance-inducing music played by rara bands, men whip and fight until they die and are reborn in the infinite cycle.

Forcefully removed from their ancestral home by the Ugandan government to protect the endangered gorilla population, the indigenous Batwa people start a music club in hopes to preserve their culture through song and story.

A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the staging of a major operatic production, Verdi's masterpiece, "La Traviata," starring world-famous French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay and directed by the celebrated Jean-Francois Sivardier.

Danceweb is an intimate, rewarding film that gives a unique understanding of the world of contemporary dance by following three young dancers.

The documentary tells the personal stories of the dancers at Philadanco, the Philadelphia-based African-American modern dance company, with sincere testimonials from young dancers.

This video profiles members of Banda Dida, an all-girl drumming and vocal group in Salvador, Brazil.

An unusual look at the current political and economic crisis in Colombia—including a decades-long civil war, a rampant drug trade, kidnapping for ransom, and financial scandal at the highest levels of the government—through the eyes of young Colombians, in particular the country’s finest rap musicians, DJs and breakdancers

The historical collage of Cuban Dance forms, including contradanza, danzon, son, mambo, cha-cha-cha, and culminating in an exuberant carnival celebration, features dancers from Cuba's famed El Conjunto Nacional de Danza Moderna.

Beginning with cultures of prehistory and primitive dance forms, this film depicts the concert forms of native dancing in the works of Katherine Dunham. The second part of the film deals with folk dances of more than fifteen nations.

Filmmaker Hali Lee grew up in suburban Kansas City, where she remembers her own high school prom as a drag. In later years, however, she became obsessed with trying to understand the appeal of this quintessentially American tradition—was it the pageantry, the poignant pretensions of teenagers dressing up as ‘adults,’ the myth of prom as a pagan coming-of-age ritual, or the ersatz memories?

This documentary surveys the revolutionary new developments in American puppet theater, profiling many of puppetry’s most imaginative contemporary artists.

Examines the role of black resistance to apartheid in South Africa through a look at two of the nation's leading cultural activists and popular performers--poet Mzwakhe Mbuli and writer/ performer Gcina Mhlophe.

This cinema-verite documentary examines one of America's most exclusive and enduring social traditions--the debutante ball. The film focuses on the National Debutante Cotillion at the Washington Hilton, following the preparations of Jill Schweitzer, one of the new generation of debs who see beyond the traditional ritual to the valuable career and business connections that can be made.

Written and hosted by Jamake Highwater, a world renowned author on Indian culture, this film examines the differences between Native American and Western cultures, including their contrasting views of nature, time, space, art, architecture, and dance.

This video examines the world of amateur Irish dancing, featuring interviews with Irish women in Great Britain who have passed on this cultural tradition within their own families and the wider Irish immigrant community.

Examines America's juvenile justice system, focusing on three young people in trouble with the law throughout their adolescence.