MAKING DANCE, FILM WORK TOGETHER
Jen Ray, a dancer from Vancouver, is based near Washington, D.C. Shawn Conner spoke to Ray about the Cascadia Dance & Cinema festival being held in the city.
Q: Can you explain what you mean when you talk about the convergence of film and dance?
A: Why I’m really passionate about these events and highlighting quality work is because I’ve studied the history. There’s a gap in understanding between the two. I was in film studies and they’d talk about musicals and say: “There’s the narrative action and then there’s a performance. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just for entertainment.” I’m watching it and thinking, that’s completely absurd. There’s choreography here, there’s character exposition through their energy and movement, even the way they’re interacting with their space is telling much more than the dialogue. So the film people like dance but they just don’t understand it. And you have the dance people, especially with the Internet and the way people are branding themselves, who don’t have enough of an understanding of film. It’s like they’re speaking two different languages even though there’s so much in common. Cascadia’s an invitation for these two worlds to come
together. I think Vancouver is an untapped resource for it.
Q: How does this compare to the inaugural event last year?
A: Last year was a larger scale event. It was four days, we included performances. We showed over 50 short dance films and nine feature films. That was a very ambitious first year. I wanted to show the scope of possibilities. This year, given that it’s near Canada Day weekend, and I’m also doing my festival down here in Washington, I wanted to focus it more.
Q: As curator of the films, how would you define your taste?
A: I am very sensitive to detail and quality. I didn’t study film production, but I studied film studies at UBC. I grew up dancing, I became a dance teacher, I’m now a filmmaker, and I teach dance film workshops. I look very deeply into things instantly. I can immediately see a clear picture. I credit that to my film studies education. My dance education really comes in handy when it’s time to make a film, and in the practical side of getting a rhythm of the moving parts and having everything come together just right for the shot. As far as the curator’s perspective, it does come from having dedicated time to watching amazing films and geeking out with other people.
Q: What can the public or dance fans get out of Cascadia?
A: I would say the screenings are definitely for the public. The forums during the day, which the public can attend, are an invitation for industry folks and academics or even a musician who wants a really cool music video made or someone who’s looking for an amazing editor to meet. It’s a really good opportunity for industry folks, but at the same time the content is very accessible.