This month we’ve curated a list of dance films and videos, which are all free to watch online. Whether you’re looking for a quick dance fix or a full dance show to sink your teeth into, we’ve got you covered.
1. The Language by Steph Tari Odu
Dance film (duration: 9 minutes)
In short film The Language, director Steph Tari Odu explores ballroom as a refuge for queer and trans people seeking self-expression, and connection to wider histories and cultural identities. Starring Jay Jay Revlon and Gorgeous Jayce Gucci, the film offers a gateway into the scene through the stories of those whose involvement has allowed them to find themselves through movement – soundtracked by queer artists of colour, including London-based Mwen, to Atlanta-based Xeraph, and the Bay Area’s DJ Spiider.
2. Artificial Things by Stopgap Dance Company
Dance film (duration 25 minutes)
Filmed on location in a derelict suburban shopping mall and featuring an ensemble of disabled and non-disabled dancers, the film explores human interdependence, strength, and vulnerability.
Directed by Sophie Fiennes and conceived and performed by Stopgap Dance Company, the dance film is a re-imagining of the stage work of the same name and dancers Amy Butler, Laura Jones, Chris Pavia, David Willdridge and Dave Toole, who devised the original piece, all appear in the film.
3. Steps of Freedom: The Story of Irish Dance
Documentary (duration: 100 minutes)
“Irish dance was born out of oppression”
A documentary that tells the extraordinary story of how Irish dance developed over centuries, from a traditional dance of the Irish people, to become the global phenomenon it is today, attracting millions of viewers and dancers throughout the world.
The documentary features stunning original performances by some of the greatest practitioners of Irish dance of the present day and a wealth of archive materials including films, photographs and witness accounts revealing the history of Irish dance and its evolution.
4. AIR DE TEMPS by Alesandra Seutin & Ben Williams
Dance film (duration: 15 minutes)
AIR DE TEMPS tells of an urgent need to speak out, to delve into lost dreams, to confront your demons and regurgitate your resentment – have a voice. It’s a powerful process of taking action to shed the cloak of failure handed down generation after generation.
This cinematic film is set mostly in Bargny, a coastal town situated in Senegal and is a response to the in-process theatre work Air de Temps for the Jant-Bi II company based at École des Sables, Senegal and artistically led by Alesandra Seutin and Wesley Ruzibiza.
Watch via Sadler’s Wells (Audio described version available)
5. Finding Purpose in Play with Gandini
Dance film (duration: 3 minutes)
A chance encounter in Covent Garden over 30 years ago between Kati Ylä-Hokkala, a former ballet dancer and gymnast, and Sean Gandini, a street performer and juggler, set in motion a personal and professional collaboration which would take the pair – and later, their troop of jugglers – to stages across the world.
Now one of the world’s most prolific circus companies, Gandini’s unique fusion of juggling and dance marries mathematics, rhythmic choreography and synergetic sequences, with provocative humour punctuating the complex cross-armed patterns.
Directed by Camilla Greenwell