Movement for Movement
About the Film:
“BLUE” is the first film produced as part of the Movement for Movement series. This work highlights the stories of three Bruce Wood Dance artists who opened up about their personal mental health when impacted by pandemic-related isolation.
Primary Cast:
Joy Bollinger, choreographer
The Digibees, filmmakers
Megan Storey, featured artist
Elliott Trahan, featured artist
Jillyn Bryant, featured artist
TRAILER for “BLUE”
REVIEW from Dr. Jermaine Thomas, PsyD
“BLUE” is a kinetically-rich dance performance that embodies the diverse pandemic-related responses of the world. From sprightly leaps to bounded slogs, the dancers capture the manifold ways that the citizens of the world have reacted to prologued periods of isolation. The performance includes themes of re-birth, as well as intimations of death. The winding circles of the dancers represent the infinitude of time and the endless suffering that some have felt as they have had to trudge through the mandated isolation. The performers dramatize how many people felt trapped, whereas others felt rejuvenated by the forced activity restriction. Despite the varied experiences that the dancers illustrate, it ends with them standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a circle, thus representing human solidarity and oneness. In summary, “BLUE” is a beautiful display of how dance can imitate life and lend expression to the crests and troughs that characterized the COVID-19 pandemic.
ISOLATION and its Impact on MENTAL HEALTH
Understanding the Effects of Social Isolation on Mental Health - Tulane University
”People around the world have taken unprecedented safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing is critical for slowing the spread of infectious diseases, but experts suggest solitude carries its own health cost: Social isolation can affect mental health.”
The Risks of Social Isolation - American Psychological Sociation
”Learning objectives: After reading this article, CE candidates will be able to:
1. Identify the effects of social isolation and loneliness on physical, mental and cognitive health.
2. Explore how loneliness differs from social isolation.
3. Discuss evidence-based interventions for combating loneliness.”
The following 4 films were produced as part of the SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread series by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, which served as the incubator for Movement for Movement.
What the Body Holds
CITY: San Francisco, CA
CAUSE: Domestic Violence
PREMIERED: January 15, 2021
“What the Body Holds” was produced as part of the SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread series by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, which served as the incubator for Movement for Movement
About the Film:
What the Body Holds is inspired by the work of Svetlana (Lana) Pivchik, an advocate who has been supporting survivors of domestic violence in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 15 years. In her work Lana offers guided movement sessions to her clients to help ground them as they begin to process their trauma. What the Body Holds explores how movement impacts our mental health. The film features an original score by Kishi Bashi and Emily Hope Price.
Primary Cast:
Ben Needham-Wood, writer & choreographer
Matthew McKee, writer & filmmaker
Jenna Marie, dancer
REVIEW from Dr. Jermaine Thomas, PsyD
WHAT THE BODY HOLDS is a short film that beautifully illustrates vulnerability, strength, and resilience. In this piece, the narrator demonstrates considerable courage by sharing his trauma story with the viewing audience, and his bravery will surely embolden others to work through their traumatic experiences as well. The utility of dance as a therapeutic modality is discussed and it is described as one of the many ways people can confront that which often feels impossible to face.
Towards the video’s tail end, the phrase, “the shadow is embraced” sprawls across the screen. As a clinical psychologist, I immediately recognized these words as an homage to Carl Jung. Jung was one of the most preeminent psychiatrists and analysts of the early 20 th century, and he encouraged people to integrate their shadow to become whole. Jung believed that virtually everything in existence casts a shadow, and our minds are no exception. At least in part, we are all characterized by darkness or have endured dark experiences. However, these matters are often siphoned off from our awareness. If such things remain unconscious, the darkness can operate like a puppeteer and turn us into its playthings. In light of this phenomenon, it is important that we take heed to Jung’s words by making our darkness conscious so that we can control it, rather than having it control us. WHAT THE BODY HOLDS brilliantly bares this truth.
Purple Skin
CITY: Chicago, IL
CAUSE: HIV/AIDS
PREMIERED: November 5, 2020
Purple Skin was produced as part of the SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread series by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, which served as the incubator for Movement for Movement
About the Film:
Purple Skin is inspired by the work of longtime activist, Lori Cannon, who has dedicated her life to supporting those living with AIDS/HIV in Chicago, a particularly vulnerable community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of Cannon’s work over the years has been providing food and household necessities to those unable to feed themselves. The film features an original score by Kishi Bashi and Emily Hope Price.
Primary Cast:
Stephanie Martinez, choreographer
Dean Berdusis, filmmakers
Joseph A. Hernandez and Kelsey McFalls, dancers
REVIEW from Dr. Jermaine Thomas, PsyD
In PURPLE SKIN, the statement that “for some people, denial can be a wonderful way of life until it stops being a wonderful way of life” was incredibly compelling. Denial is one of the foremost defenses that people employ to help maintain their psychological integrity when confronted with unnerving information. For many years, masses of people within our nation have engaged in the phenomenon of collective denial concerning the atrocities that have taken place on our country’s soil. However, 2020 opened our eyes to the fact that we can no longer deny the bigotry that characterizes this nation and the fragility of the economic floor that undergirds many Americans’ feet. The parallels between the Covid-19 pandemic and the AIDS pandemic are striking, particularly given all of the lives lost, but also because of the denial that many still exercise as it relates to the severity of this event. With that being said, what was encouraging about this short film was that during both crises (e.g., Covid-19 and AIDS pandemic), or “wars” as the narrator put it, we are shown that there is always space for heroes and heroines to help those who are suffering. PURPLE SKIN reveals the heroic human spirit that we are all endowed with, and how we can leverage this spirit in times of tragedy.
WeAIghT
CITY: Brooklyn, NY
CAUSE: Racial Injustice
PREMIERED: October 16, 2020
WeAIghT was produced as part of the SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread series by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, which served as the incubator for Movement for Movement
About the Film:
WeAIghT examines the emotional impact of the Black Lives Matter movement during the protests in New York City. The film features music composed by Philip Hamilton.
Primary Cast:
Jennifer Archibald, choreographer
Andrew Cashin, filmmaker
James Gilmer, dancer
REVIEW from Dr. Jermaine Thomas, PsyD
In the cleverly named short film, WeAIght, the dancer that performs in his sweat-drenched shirt conveys the exhaustion that many Black people are experiencing as they continue to endure systemic racism and oppression. Seeing our nation’s credo - “all men are created equal” - inscribed on the chalkboard and then erased highlights how our country often fails to embody its values.
In watching this performance, I was moved by how the dance performer matched the song’s pain-filled and soulful lyrics. As a Black male, this video engendered feelings of sadness, anger, and courage within me, and although I’m just a sample of one, that’s a good sign, as it is likely that other Black viewers will likely connect with this piece in similar ways.
Crack the Dark
CITY: Sacramento, CA
CAUSE: Industry Decimation
PREMIERED: October 1, 2020
Crack the Dark was produced as part of the SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread series by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, which served as the incubator for Movement for Movement
About the Film:
Crack the Dark is inspired by Sacramento chef Patrick Mulvaney. Mulvaney, a leader in Sacramento's Farm to Fork scene and pioneer in mental health advocacy for the hospitality industry, found a way to continue serving his community after being forced by the pandemic to close his restaurant. The film features an original score composed by Emily Hope Price.
Primary Cast:
Amy Seiwert, choreographer
Kristina Samuelson & John Haptas, filmmakers
Weston Krukow, dancer
REVIEW from Dr. Jermaine Thomas, PsyD
At the outset of CRACK THE DARK, the first thing that I was struck by was the following comment made by the restaurant owner: “Without the community, we can’t exist”; This statement, whether intended or not, contains layers of meaning. At one level of analysis, it suggests that a restaurant like the one in the short film cannot survive economically without people’s patronage. More broadly, though, it also means that people can’t exist without others’ emotional and physical support.
If I may make a relevant digression - it’s been found that when babies are not physically touched, many of them either suffer severe developmental problems, or they die. This then suggests that human contact is indeed fundamental to our overall well-being.
In 1945, an Austrian-American psychoanalyst named Rene Spitz studied babies who were hospitalized for prolonged periods (numerous months) and separated from their caretakers. Spitz found that although these babies were provided with sufficient nourishment while in the hospital, many of them failed to thrive and struggled with intractable psychological and physical disorders. Worst yet, approximately one-third of the babies died. This seminal study demonstrated how vital nurturing physical contact is to one’s physical and psychological health. Although adults will not die if they’re not physically touched, enduring protracted periods of physical distance from others can undoubtedly have a harmful effect on people’s mental health. In short, unsatiated skin-hunger can be misery-inducing.
It has been found that social isolation and the absence of touch can increase one’s stress levels and anxiety. However, physical touch has been shown to have an analgesic and anxiolytic effect because it results in the release of oxytocin in our bodies. In other words, we are biologically wired to experience a reduction in pain and anxiety when we’re physically connected with people that care about us.
Adhering to the medically-necessary prescription to socially distance is essential in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but unfortunately, this protective measure is likely resulting in increased rates of anxiety and stress for those who are unable to touch their loved ones.
At the end of CRACK THE DARK, the restaurant owner is shown in an empty theatre watching the dance performer mirror and dramatize his pain. This scene is moving for a number of reasons, but foremost among them is that it accurately displays the sorrow that many are experiencing due the physical separation that the pandemic has caused.
Stories we hope to share
We have all been impacted by recent events, yet each of us experiences these traumas differently in the context of our lives. Our aim is to elevate stories reflecting critical social issues, and in doing so build empathy across social, economic, and cultural divides to inspire communal support.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Submit your story through the link below.