cleveland dance fest 2025

Virtual Dance Film Gallery

7 Dance Films

The Movement Project

A Collection of dance films

CDF 2025 dance film Artists

Casualties

Casualties explores the complicated relationship between consumerism and the isolation it causes through inauthenticity. The "lover" whom we discover in the song represents the consumerism that does not give back the way it promises. Ultimately we illustrate the strain and desire for human connection in a world that does not easily foster it.

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Film Credits

Choreographer: Saige Doré Rook

Videographer: Laura McCann

Editor: Laura McCann & Cassidy DeVol

Sound: "Lover" by Solon

Dancers: Saige Doré Rook, Trinity Stevens, Elizabeth Schultheis, Oliver Wilson

Costumes: Saige Doré Rook

Collaborators: T's Bargain Beauties, Jane DeVol, PBS Western Reserve

Anthropocene, Revisited

"Anthropocene, Revisited" captures the relentless thrust of industrial progress, the profound impact of human activity on the planet, and the painful process of coming to face the permanence of our actions. Originally choreographed and performed as an in-the-round concert piece in 2015, this film version was developed using the collaborative choreographic style characteristic of our collective. The film incorporates physical props, inventive staging, and an epilogue to more fully embody and explore the grounding concept.

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Film Credits

Choreographer: Madi Hunt

Videographer: Second Mark Media

Editor: Marissa Roesch

Sound: "The Winner Is" by DeVotchKa and Mychael Danna, with sound design by Madi Hunt

Dancers: Emily Baird, Gabrielle Croes, Claire Smrekar, Maria Witt-Kelly

Costumes: Drift Dance Collective

Collaborators: Filmed in Ebert Art Center, The College of Wooster

Delicate Balance

Two dancers gently perch on a fragile landscape of craggy slate and weathered wildflowers, teetering on the edge of their delicate ecosystem.

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Film Credits

Choreographer: Jennifer Keller with Freya Jeffs and Francis Drewery

Videographer & Editor: Jennifer Keller

Sound: Andy Hasenpflug

Dancers: Freya Jeffs, Francis Drewery

Costumes: Freya Jeffs, Francis Drewery

Collaborators: Andy Hasenpflug, Freya Jeffs, Francis Drewery

Note: This film was created during the Screendance in the Landscape workshop with Katrina and Colin McPherson in May 2023 on Easdale Island, Scotland. The island, once home to up to eight slate quarries in the 1800s, still bears the marks of human intervention amidst its rugged yet delicate ecosystem. The weathered wildflowers growing among the quarry ruins offer a poignant reminder of the fragile yet resilient balance we can strive for in our relationship with nature and the landscape.

The Orange Grove: A Meditation on Mid-Life

An artist reflects on her unique life path through poetry and Butoh dance.

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Film Credits

Choreographer: Genevieve Jencson

Videographer & Editor: Brian McCormack

Sound: Invocation Ii - Ethereal Ambient Cello by RawMaterials

Dancers: Genevieve Jencson

Costumes & Poetry: Genevieve Jencson

what exactly did you expect to find here?

Using screendance and animation, “what exactly did you expect to find here?” portrays the concept of wanting to feel fully understood rather than being known at a surface level. It explores the emotional toll that one might experience when opening up to someone. While sharing your innermost self is vulnerable, it is important for a deeper connection.

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Film Credits

Choreographer, Videographer & Editor: Claire Decker

Sound: Layered sound effects- Pixabay.com

Dancer: Ray Martini

Costumes: Ray Martini

Rumination

A look at the internal struggle of letting go of something deeply meaningful. Weighed down by reality, unable to move forward.

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Film Credits

Choreographer, Videographer & Editor: Norah Spradling

Sound: Cosi Fan Tutte ‘Soave Sia Il Vento Mozart

Dancers: Julianna Record

Lighting Design and Props: Cassie Dietrich

WanderLust BLUE

Wanderlust BLUE transforms the medium of dance through the lens of the camera. Inspired by Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot and Elyse Morckel’s 2023 trio VOID, the film reflects on humanity’s struggle with the idea that our existence is not the center of the universe. Filmed by Denzel D. Washington, the narrative follows BLUE, the apparent protagonist. Yet as the story unfolds, shifting perspectives raise a question: is BLUE the only heart within the endless stretches of space and time? Morckel’s choreography and Washington’s filmmaking create a visual/movement experiment exploring themes of space, technology, and the human drive for exploration and fulfillment, a desire that remains elusive when the search is only for oneself.