Sunday, January 1, 2012

new year, new blog

Awake: 3 AM
Awakening at 3 AM on the first day of the new year, I realize it's time to start a blog on our film production process. The last month of 2011, with its audience fundraising drive, was quite a ride: transformative, magical, stressful at times, and a learning experience.

In this blog we will update you on the progress of our film, en route to completion in 2012, and aim to provoke and involve you in our thinking process.

World Changing?
On the way to a New Years party last night, I had a powerful conversation with my partner, “J”. Although she is supportive of and impressed by our production, she is not a contact improv dancer. She confessed skepticism about my insistence that this film will be “world changing.” How, she asks, can a film about dance really be world changing?

At first the question sounded slightly hostile. But then, rather than becoming reactive, it really got me thinking anew. I found the question to be really helpful, and worthy of deeper consideration.

I know for myself that dance changes and rearranges my own inner world, my experience of myself and of my relationship to others. I experience a seismic shift, a healing, and a recovery of something fundamental about what it means to be a human being. This is what drives me to want to make a film about it.

Over the last month I have heard from numerous supporters of our production, that they feel we are doing something important, and that the world needs what our film will have to offer.

What if our film "just" brings more happiness into the world? What if it "only" brings more healing and recovery? Will it change the world more than that? I strongly believe, “yes." But we'll explore this in this blog, and in our film. I won't dare attempt an answer all at once.

This intimate dance blog
There is so much more I want to write about. But I know I should keep these posts short. This blog will also feature writing by some of my favorite people - including the associate producers and others related to the film. I hope to include writings by some of the people you will meet in front of the camera. And this being a film blog, from time to time we'll post some video clips.

What shall we call the blog? At the moment, I am thinking it should be called Awake at Three. But maybe that is a bad idea, since being awake at three happens to me all too often, but it is not particularly a habit I want to encourage or institutionalize.

For now, we are just going to call this "an intimate dance blog." Other suggestions welcome.

Welcome to the New Year, and to our blogging on the journey toward completion of our film. We are looking forward to traveling this road with you.

Dancing forward into the new year,
Sanford
Producer/Director
Contact Improvisation: An Intimate Dance