On Thursday, Jan. 25, the short film “Moth” by choreographer Kate Weare (Dance BFA 94) and Jack Flame Sorokin premieres at the 22nd edition of Dance Camera West, a globally renowned dance film festival.
“Moth” features choreography by Weare and performances by dancers Nicole Vaughan-Diaz and Kendall Teague. The film explores “female desire in a darkened space of imagination using a single light source: a lantern,” according to the synopsis. Vaughan-Diaz’s rendition of Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, originally penned by Horace Ott as an apology for his own misdeeds to his girlfriend and later immortalized by Nina Simone, infuses the film with a sense of longing. “Moth” is playing in the International Shorts Program 1 on the opening night of the festival.
Weare is director of the New York-based Kate Weare Company, which has toured throughout the United States since 2005. The company’s mission includes creating live dance and dance film from a feeling of authenticity and by placing women at the center of the human story. Weare is the recipient of several awards, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship Award, The Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship, NC Arts Council Fellowship, and Evelyn Sharp Summer Residency Award, among others.
Dance Camera West runs from Jan. 25-28 at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles. The lineup includes a curated selection of 40 films from 20 countries, each making its World, US, or Los Angeles premiere. Prizes will be given in five categories: Best Experimental Short, Best Student/First Film, Best Documentary Short, Best Documentary Feature, and Outstanding Achievement Awards. In addition to the selected films in competition screenings, the festival includes workshops, artist talks, and opening and closing receptions.
The most up-to-date festival schedule, ticket links, and film guide can be found at https://dcw2024.eventive.org/welcome.
