We are excited to share that Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival was a success! We received submissions from as far away as Europe, and from throughout the United States. We saw dance in the snow in Wisconsin, on street corners in New Orleans, and a single film shot in multiple European locations from the United Kingdom to Lithuania, as well as a winning entry from Barcelona. We saw classical, contemporary, krump, street, and lyrical with dancers ranging in age from twenty something to seventy something. We viewed films that were shot-listed and films that were shot spontaneously, with dance that was choreographed and dance that was improvised.
What is especially noteworthy is that except for just a few submissions, all of the films submitted were conceived and created specifically for Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival. We are so proud to be the inspiration for so much creativity in dance and film!
The judges have met and spoken and I am thrilled to announce the winners for the first Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival. While we appreciated many more than just these five winning entries, we had only five award categories, and subsequently voted to add three Honorable Mentions. The winners in the initial five categories will receive a small cash award, and we feature their winning entries herein. Due to limited space, Honorable Mentions’ films will also be announced herein, but viewable in next week’s ScreenDance Diaries.
The five award winners are as follows:
1. Best Overall:

• “Float”: Directed, filmed, & choreographed by Jacob Jonas with dance by Kimberly Bridgewater.

https://youtu.be/huq3dt_imGU
2. Best Interface of Dance & Camera:

• “Raw”: Directed & Produced by Caitlin O’Rorke, choreography by The Block Crew & Caitlin O’Rorke, with dance by Elber Medina “B.F.”, Michael Castro “Cahel.M”, Neus Márquez “Snow”, Ronald Ferreira “Prototype”, Twezzy “Too Eazy”, and Vladimir Medina “Cube”. Camera by Caitlin O’rorke & Adrià Moles.

3. Best Use of Location:

• “What’s the Rush?” Directed by Shaun Boyte, Conceived & danced by Jacob Jonas, Camera by Shaun Boyte

https://youtu.be/MWyDbq0I88U
4. Best Original Choreography:

• “Hell You Talm Bout”: Directed by Joe Brown, Choreography by Joe Brown & Kara Janelle, Camera by Q Burdette

5. Audience Choice Award: (voted on by the public at large)

• “Raw”, ”: Directed & produced by Caitlin O’Rorke, Choreography by The Block Crew & Caitlin O’Rorke, Dance by Elber Medina “B.F.”, Michael Castro “Cahel.M”, Neus Márquez “Snow”, Ronald Ferreira “Prototype”, Twezzy “Too Eazy”, and Vladimir Medina “Cube”. Camera by Caitlin O’rorke & Adrià Moles.  (see #2 above!)

Honorable Mentions:

• “ESand”, Direction and Choreography by Erin Elliott, Camera & Editing by Hso Hkam

• “We Wear the Mask”, Directed by Shiouwen Hong, Camera by Matthew Hoodhood, Dance by Megan Wright

• “Queen of Krump Miss Prissy Freestyle 2016”, Direction & Camera by Manny Fernandez, Dance by Miss Prissy

Congratulations to all!
And once again, a HUGE SPECIAL THANKS to the wonderful panel of world class professionals who stood by me in the judging process, offered their opinions, astute insights, and generously gave of their time:
Valerie Faris – Director w/ Jonathan Dayton “Little Miss Sunshine”,”LMS”, and “Ruby Sparks”
d. Sabela grimes – US Artists Rockefeller Fellow, Choreographer, Writer, Composer & Educator
Julie McDonald – Dance Agent & Co-Founder McDonald Selznick Associates
Tony Testa – Choreographer for Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, and more
And last but not least, we once again offer special thanks to Emmy Award Winning choreographer, actress, and more, the incomparable Anita Mann for her generous donations to help make Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival possible.
Please watch all the winning entries and stand by… We will feature the Honorable Mentions’ films in next week’s ScreenDance Diaries.
Enjoy.  And meanwhile… Keep dancing in public!
#DareToDance #DemocratizeDance
 
(featured image by Flickr user francis mckee)