Dance in Movies Biographical and Documentaries

 

.Dreams in Motion "In the Footsteps of Pina Bausch"

Pina is a 2011 German 3D documentary film about the contemporary dance choreographer Pina Bausch. It was directed by Wim Wenders. The film premiered out of competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.

During the preparation of the documentary, Pina Bausch died unexpectedly. Wenders cancelled the film production, but the other dancers of Tanztheater Wuppertal convinced him to make the film anyway. It showcases these dancers, who talk about Pina and perform some of her best-known pieces inside the Tanztheater Wuppertal and in various outdoor locations around the city of Wuppertal.

Philippina "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director. With her unique style, a blend of movement, sound, and prominent stage sets, and with her elaborate collaboration with performers during the development of a piece (a style now known as Tanztheater), she became a leading influence in the field of modern dance from the 1970s on. She created the company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, which performs internationally.

 

The Josephine Baker Story (1991) is an American television series . It stars Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker, who is regarded for being an international star. The film was generally well-received by critics and has become a success on home video and DVD. The original music score was composed by Georges Delerue. The film was nominated for several awards and won an Emmy Award for choreography by George Faison and for acting by Lynn Whitfield.

Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald (June 3, 1906 - April 12, 1975) was a French americana-, dancer, singer and actress who became known in many circles as the "Black Pearl".

She was a  star in a major motion picture, Zouzou (1934) and become a world-famous artist. She refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States and is known for his contributions to the civil rights movement. She also helped the French Resistance during World War II, and received the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre and was consecrated as a "Chevalier of the Legion of Honor" by General Charles de Gaulle.

In Josephine shows he had a couple of talented dancers Geoffrey and his wife Carmen. He did not believe the luck he was having to work with his idol and inspiration for many years. He was impressed by its simplicity and professionalism.
- "At the end of the show she never moved to the orchestra had finished playing, even if the curtain were lowered She did not leave the stage without apologizing for the driver to have gone out of tune.." said Geoffrey

                                          Geoffrey and Josephine
Josephine was also impressed with the couple, Geoffrey had told her:
- "I did not study, I can dance, I understand music I guess I learned by watching for theatrical analysis I want to work I want to dance like a child playing in the park...."
She saw Carmen as his natural successor.
- "Carmen, Paris will love you as they love me 40 years ago." said Josephine

                                          Carmen and Josephine
And Carmen admired Josephine even more.
- "Now she was a star Empress She already was in his 50s and was not jealous of me, around twenty years.." says Carmen
The next documentary film is about the couple

Carmen and Geoffrey this documentary follows the marriage five amazing decades of Carmen De Lavallade (06/03/1931) and Geoffrey Holder Lamont (08.20.1930 - 10.05.2014) and focuses on their careers as dancers, actors , choreographers and more.
  Packed with archive material depicting the artists at work, including clips from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as footage of their contemporary designs.

The greatest achievement of Carmen and Geoffrey was the passion for each other and for their art. This is what Geoffrey talks about his wife Carmen:

- "Carmen is my source of inspiration and  I preserve. Men when you marry keep his wife as beautiful as the first time you saw. Please do not change it ... Just hold she special. She.... is Carmen De Lavallade, she is not Carmen Holder. This title is from my mother. "

Brincante - Playful Self (2014) A musical journey in the work of Antonio Nobrega, led by the characters John Sidurino and Rosalina - parts of plays "Brincante" and "Second Stories." In a mix of fiction and documentary, presenting diverse cultural expressions like this artist is part of the Brazilian cultural imaginary.

The Soul of the People - Alma da Gente is a Brazilian documentary of 2013, directed by Helena Solberg and David Meyer, which shows the different destinations of people marked by transformation through art. His characters are the 60 adolescents Tide Dance Corps, group coordinated by choreographer and educator Ivaldo Bertazzo in Complex Maré. Em 2002, the choreographer Ivaldo Bertazzo coordinated a dance project with Favela residents adolescents Tide, leading to the presentation of show "Dance of Tides." The documentary shows the routine training and interaction among participants, revealing the dreams of these young people for the future. Ten years later, in 2012, the directors sought the dancers to understand the impact of this event in their lives, and to see if they were able to conquer childhood desires.

The Battle of Passinho - A Batalha do Passarinho (2013), Emílio Domingos, portrays the phenomenon of the Rio suburbs of culture known as small step. The funk dance style has existed since the early 2000s, but was known from the videos on the internet circulation. From there, the dancers began to appear even abroad.

São Paulo Dance Company -  São Paulo Companhia de Dança (2010), Evaldo Mocarzel depicts the hard work routine of the dancers. No interviews, the documentary focused on the visual account of the preparation for the choreographic creation of Polygon, Alessio Silvestrin.

Bolshoi Babylon (2015) A look at Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, and the events surrounding an acid attack with acid against its director took place in 2013.

Mao's Last Dancer is a 2009 Australian film based on professional dancer Li Cunxin's autobiography of the same name. Li Cunxin is portrayed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Chi Cao ( Australian Ballet dancer Chengwu Guo ( and Huang Wen Bin. The film also stars Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Joan Chen, Wang Shuangbao and Amanda Schull.

Li Cunxin (born 26 January 1961) is a Chinese-Australian former ballet dancer and stockbroker. He is currently the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet in Brisbane, Australia.

Mata Hari is a 1931 American film loosely based on the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer/courtesan executed for espionage during World War I. The film stars Greta Garbo in the title role. The film is credited with popularizing the legend of Mata Hari.

Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeodbetter known bythe stage name Mata Hari (7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), , was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy and executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.

Desert Dancer is a 2014 British biographical drama film directed by Richard Raymond and written by Jon Croker. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the film is based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffarian, a young, self-taught dancer in Iran, who risked his life for his dream to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban.

Afshin Ghaffarian ( born 1986 in Mashhad) is an Iranian Choreographer, Director, Dancer, and Actor, participating primarily with the group "Rerformances".

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is an American biographical musical comedy, released in 1939 and directed by H.C. Potter. The film stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, and Walter Brennan. The movie is based on the stories My Husband and My Memories of Vernon Castle, by Irene Castle. The movie was adapted by Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Yost and Richard Sherman.

 William "Vernon" Blyth (May 2, 1887 - February 15, 1918) Norfolk, England. and Irene Castle was born Irene Foote (April 17, 1893 - January 25, 1969) in New Rochelle, New York, were a husband and wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and silent movies in beginning of the early 20th century They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dance.

Flamengo (1995) As a hall fills with performers, a narrator says that flamenco came from Andalucia, a mix of Greek psalms, Mozarabic dirges, Castilian ballads, Jewish laments, Gregorian chants, African rhythms, and Iranian and Romany melodies. The film presents thirteen rhythms of flamenco, each with song, guitar, and dance: the up-tempo bularías, a brooding farruca, an anguished martinete, and a satiric fandango de huelva. There are tangos, a taranta, alegrías, siguiriyas, soleás, a guajira of patrician women, a petenera about a sentence to death, villancicos, and a final rumba. Families present numbers, both festive and fierce. The camera and the other performers are the only audience