Screen Dance Festival: A Versatile Night On Saturday, November 21st, I had the pleasure of attending the 10th annual DeSales University Screen Dance Festival. The evening featured award-winning dance films from the 2014 and 2015 NYC Dance on Camera Festivals. In total there were eight pieces shown: Well Contested Sites, Dervishes, Juice Box Afternoon, Stella and Tom, Escualo, Rules of the Game, Homegoings, and Vanishing Points. The duration of each film varied from under four minutes, to over thirteen minutes. What I enjoyed most about this night was the diversity of the shown dance films. The evening showcased numerous different dance styles throughout the eight films. Overall, two dance films, specifically stood out to me: Well Contested…show more content… This film was the longest film shown that night: lasting over thirteen minutes. In total, there were nineteen performers. Well Contested Sites was originated with the purpose of shining light onto the issue of over incarceration in the United States. I felt that the title alone gave me a great amount of insight about the film. Dowling is referring to the incarcerated individual’s body as a ‘contested sight’. Jails and prisons often emphasize containment, control, and unfortunately segregation within solitude. These are all factors that can bring out a contrast of strength and vulnerability within an individual’s body. An element about this film that I found very interesting is that it included several men who have been previously incarcerated. The film was developed and shot on Alcatraz Island. I felt that the use of real, past prisoners and a real prison setting was extremely essential when it came to telling the story. As an audience member I felt constantly connected to the body language of the performers. This is due to the fact that they did not come off as dancers; they came off as prisoners. I felt a personal connection to all aspects of this film and decided to look into it more. Upon researching, I read an article where Dowling makes the statement, ““memories live in our bodies”” (Hunter Maso). This was a quote that I was able to immediately relate back to her film. I feel that I was so connected to the performers who were once incarcerated because their bodies never forgot how it felt to be locked
