Anyone who has ever moved to the rhythm of the beat — or simply enjoyed watching others do so — knows that dance can affect us on a visceral level, evoking something deep within. Circuit Arts is gifting us with three shows during its second Martha’s Vineyard Dance Film Festival, at the Grange Hall on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17. The two-day festival, with its compelling short films, moving documentaries, and live performances, promises to be a vibrant celebration of dance’s beauty and transformative power.
The festival begins with a program, “Exploring Our Humanity,” on Friday evening. It presents a powerful collection of short films exploring themes of connection, grief, joy, freedom, and relationships, revealing what brings us together in challenging times. Abby Bender and Katie Federowicz Perez will be performing live between each film.
The initial program on Saturday, May 17, is “The Truth Is …” at 5 pm, featuring two films by Jordy Dik that celebrate neurodiversity, dignity, and freedom. “Muses” follows five performers from Compagnie Tiuri — an inclusive company of artists with and without intellectual disabilities — as they travel to London to collaborate with the acclaimed Shechter II of the Hofesh Shechter Company to create “A Bird Named Mansour.” The resulting dance film follows, reflecting the harsh reality of a world where children are forced to flee and leaders choose violence over peace. The poignant, visually arresting film uses birds as metaphors for freedom and resilience in the face of global injustice. After the screening, there will be a movement and text workshop exploring the foundational, heartfelt elements of the piece.
The 7 pm show features Manuela Dalle’s stirring documentary “Dancing in A-Yard.” The film takes us inside a remarkable class at Lancaster A-Yard, a California State prison in L.A. County. A group of young men work with renowned French choreographer, artistic director, and film producer Dimitri Chamblas. We watch how these men, who came to A-Yard from dehumanizing prisons plagued by violence and toxic masculinity, bond with one another through their passion for artistic expression. Each is vulnerable and honest about the tragic situations that brought them into the system. Many were part of gangs. Parents were absent or were drug addicts; some lived amid domestic violence. They also share about the impact of the creative experience. One says, “We all come together … We’re not afraid of what other people think about us. All that tough-guy mentality, we shut that off … We can be vulnerable with one another.” Another relates, “Being able to express myself and not care what anyone thinks about it, it’s like the best medicine for getting over the things we had to go through.”
Dalle underscores the men’s powerful words with exquisite photography of their dancing. They inhabit the movement, staying in relationship with one another as they move through space, sometimes touching and at other times a hair’s breadth away. The choreography is at once strong and tender, and thoroughly engaging.
Chamblas treats the dancers with absolute professional respect, encouraging and supporting their process. He is the perfect mentor, and his career spans choreographing for theater and high fashion and teaching in refugee camps. Bidhan Roy, California State director of education programs in prisons, brought Chamblas on. He says of the importance of dance in the prison, “It expands more possibilities on a prison yard when you add more modalities of expression.” At the film’s beginning, his quote flashes across the screen: “The story of how we got here has been well told, but how we get out of here is a lesser-told story because it has yet to be fully imagined.” While the movie doesn’t have a fairytale ending, it does reflect healing and redemption. As one dancer says about his experience, “I feel happy again. I feel like a human.”
Lisa Gross, programmer of the Martha’s Vineyard Dance Film Festival, says, “I’m really excited about this year’s festival. I realized after I had programmed it that this year, I gravitated to films that spoke to what connects us as humans, as opposed to what divides us. I want the audience to be moved, but also to feel a sense of that connection and to be in community with each other.”
The Circuit Arts 2025 Dance Film Festival is on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17, at the Grange Hall. For general admission, pay-what-you-can tickets, and information, visit circuitarts.org/dancefilmfestival1.
