couchwalker on film by Jenny Banai

“couchwalker on film” is a short film experiment, imagined and created by Jenny Banai; a visual representation of her sophomore album “couchwalker”.

“couchwalker on film” premieres Monday, December 14 on Audiofemme. Read full conversation Jenny Banai had with them about the story behind the film here – https://www.audiofemme.com/jenny-bana…

Inspired, in part, and due to the limited ways live music can be shared in our current world environment, Banai envisioned a multi-medium digital concept performance to clarify “couchwalker” on another level, so as to invite viewers in as close as one can to the music and to her particular creative character.

Starring Banai, the film features long single-shot segments in a warehouse fashioned to look like a living room set, with a couch—and her interactions with said couch—as the centrepiece. She is accompanied by two dancers, who appear throughout the film and represent the emotional pulls within her humanity as she sorts through her convictions and feelings regarding relationship choices and her faith.

Pulling on her novice dance and theatre background, and audio editing skills, the creation of “couchwalker on film” both challenged and unveiled Banai’s abilities. She first edited her album down to twenty minutes of audio; a mix of full album production, lo-fi live takes and voice memos, to create an audio narrative. She then brought on film director, Matej Balaz of Colla Films and choreographers and dancers, Joanna Anderson and Kezia Rosen, as her collaborating partners on the project.

Over weeks of meetings, a handful of rehearsals and two postponements, couchwalker on film became the intricate and nuanced piece that it is. Expressing the wrestling match between the conscious and subconscious, reason and intuition, convictions and feelings, Banai invites the viewer into a world where moving through various emotions is both an invitation and a necessity, and how we move through them is the choice we are gifted with.

“The [Hebrew] word, the word timshel—’Thou mayest’—that gives choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open”
– Lee (Character in John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”).

Credits:

Concept and creation by Jenny Banai and her collabs: Matej Balaz, Joanna Noelle, and Kezia Rosen
Directed by Jenny Banai and Matej Balaz
Produced by Colla Films
Cinematography: Nate J Slaco
Editing: Daša Netíková and Matej Balaz
Choreography: Joanna Anderson and Kezia Rosen
Costume Design: Jenny Banai, Joanna Anderson and Kezia Rosen
Artistic Direction: Camille Candia
Music: Jenny Banai
Live Take Edits: Scott Currie
Production Assistant: Michal Slako

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
We thank Creative BC for their Showcase grant helping us out during the strangest of times for artists (and all people of course!).

website: https://jennybanai.com
spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3dUsj…
instagram: https://instagram.com/jennybanai
facebook: https://facebook.com/jenny.banai
bandcamp: https://jennybanai.bandcamp.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/BanaiJenny
soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jennybanai

Feature Documentary “4 Dancers’ Dreams” Directed/Produced/Narrated/Lyrics by Nancy J Lilley

4 Dancers’ Dreams is a Canadian Feature Documentary that is an inspiring story of 4 dancers’ dreams to go professional and the trials and tribulations it takes to get there. It not only teaches all about the dance world , it wows, entertains and inspires with spectacular dancing, while telling the intimate stories of these 4 friends. It was shot over 2 years as it followed these girls in their last year of dance school and where they ended up after graduation. We are taken into the rehearsals, around BC in local competitions, as well as Seattle, WA. at the Semi-Finals of the Youth America Grand Prix and Germany for the World Tap competition by the International Dance Organization. Principal photography of the film started in the fall of 2015 and was completed in June of 2017 with a re-edit done in 2020. In August, 2017 it had it’s World Premiere in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA and travelled all over North America and Europe including Italy and Spain in the film festival circuit of 2018/2019. It won many awards including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Editing, Narration, Cinematography, Ensemble Cast, a Scientific and Educational award and a Rising Star Award from the 2019 Canada International Film Festival. There is a lot of wonderful music to go along with the tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, musical theatre dancing including 3 original songs written for the film.

As of November 8, 2020 “4 Dancers’ Dreams” will be streaming on Amazon Prime for one year in Canada and the USA only.

POLMER Dance featuring VIXmedia

Polymer Dance and VIXmedia collaborate to perform in John Hendry Park, Vancouver, Canada during the time of social distancing. Deliberate Reflections/ Reflexiones deliberadas is a metaphor for this time spent away from the usual distraction, as an opportunity to think and examine ourselves.

Small Stage + International Dance Day

Small Stage + International Dance Day
29-April-2020
live stream broadcast
come join us for a celebration of dance live-on-line!

schedule:
*pacific standard time

noon introduction + discussion

mini dance classes
1pm ~ Bhaṅgṛā with Hardeep Singh Sahota
1:30pm ~ Tap with Alex Clancy
2pm ~ Ballet Barre with Kirsten Wicklund
2:30pm ~ Oriental Bellydance with Ashley Rhianne Dance
3pm ~ Jazz with Jacq Smith
3:30pm ~ Waacking with JoJo Zolina
4pm ~ Scottish Highland with Susan Nase | Shot of Scotch Vancouver
4:30pm ~ Joy of Jigging: Metis Inspired Movement with Jeanette Kotowich
5:30pm ~ Happy “½ Half” Hour with Peach Cobblah + Friends
6pm small stage: virtual salon

WORKS BY:
Alex Clancy
Rachel Kennedy | Small Stage Australia
Jeanette Kotowich
Lisa Rose Metz
Susan Nase | Shot of Scotch Vancouver
Ashley Rhianne Dance
Ahalya Satkunaratnam
Hardeep Singh Sahota
Jacq Smith
Chengxin Wei | Lorita Leung Dance Company
JoJo Zolina | House of La douche
Musician: Krystle Dos Santos