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Film | Artists In Exile
Detailing over forty years of
dance making in San Francisco
A film of this nature has never been attempted, and it is sure to represent an absolutely vital contribution to the history of dance in America. From the Bay Area sprang Isadora Duncan, the mother of modern dance. The artists who came to the Bay Area to make their work represent the tradition of artistic groundbreaking Duncan established. This drive to push boundaries in dance was further encouraged by the unique political and social activism for which San Francisco and the Bay Area are so famous. Here dance artists found a unique atmosphere in America, one that, while demanding excellence, simultaneously recognized the value of experimentation. Their willingness to redefine what dance can encompass, where it can take place, and who can participate has dramatically altered both dance and theater throughout America and the World. Bay Area artists’ due place in dance history suffers only as a result of their distance from the New York historians who lay claim to that history. Artists in Exile seeks to change this.

The directors, Austin Forbord and Shelley Trott, conducted forty-three interviews with dance luminaries, choreographers, dancers, critics, and historians (a complete list is included). The film includes dance footage from over fifty concerts, ranging from in-your-face in-the-street performances to elegantly staged full productions at major venues in the Bay Area. In addition, archival footage and photographs illuminate the rich heritage of dance in the bay area.

Eight influential dance notables who best outline a tradition of dance making in the Bay Area are highlighted in this film: Anna Halprin, Mangrove, Tumbleweed, Margaret Jenkins, ODC/San Francisco, Joe Goode, and Contraband. Additionally, in depth interviews with the following artists helped tell a compelling story spanning over 40 years of what it is to be a dance artist in the Bay Area: Cynthia Adams, Jules Beckman, Jesselito Bie, Byron Brown, Liz Burritt, Remy Charlip, Jess Curtis, Della Davidson,Theresa Dickinson, Kim Epifano, Jose Maria Francos, Joe Goode, Joanna Haigood, Anna Halprin, Wayne Hazzard, Keith Hennessy, Kathleen Hermesdorf, Margaret Jenkins, Robert Henry Johnson, Rhodessa Jones, Krissy Keefer, Keriac, Jo Kreiter, Jon LeFan, Stephanie Maher, Sara Shelton Mann, Shannon McGuire, Robert Moses, Claudine Naganuma, KT Nelson, Nancy Ng, Cid Pearlman, Stephen Pelton, Nicole Richter, Amelia Rudolph, Terry Sendgraff, Frank Shawl, Mercy Sidbury, Judy Smith, Brenda Way, Scott Wells, David Wood, Marni Wood, and Ruth Zaporah.


For more information contact: Austin Forbord or Shelley Trott (510) 531-5704
ARTISTS IN EXILE
Available for purchase
send an email to order

$39.99......Individuals
$89.99
......Institutions
84 minute documentary
feature film

Featuring: Anna Halprin, Joe Goode, Margaret Jenkins, ODC/San Francisco, Mangrove, Tumbleweed, Dance Brigade, and Contraband

Produced, Directed and Edited by Austin Forbord and Shelley Trott


Rapt Productions presented the world premiere of Artists in Exile: A Story of Modern Dance in San Francisco, a documentary feature at
Roxie Cinema San Francisco, CA. September 24 - 26, 2000