Screening and Workshop for College Students
Trailer for the film
Dancing Without Steps: The Art of Improvisation with Margaret Beals
Co-Directors:
Adriana Davis and
Margaret Beals
Executive Producer:
Margaret Beals
Producer/Editor:
Adriana Davis
Original "Conversations" Concept Director/Producer:
Margaret Hunnewell
Associate Producer/Creative Consultant:
Kathleen Drinane Davis
Cinematographer:
Sebastian Piras
Production Sound:
Roger Phoenix
Post-Production Sound Editor:
Glenn Navia
Produced in Association with:
D-Squared Media
"Conversations" recorded at the CloudHouse Studio, NYC
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New York City Premiere
The National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
NYC 10003
Dancing Without Steps: The Art of Improvisation with Margaret Beals
Co-directed by Adriana Davis and Margaret Beals
with an introduction by National Medal of Arts winner Meredith Monk
We are excited to announce the New York City premiere of Dancing Without Steps: The Art of Improvisation with Margaret Beals (25 minutes) on Thursday, February 29 at 7 pm at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, NYC.
Dancing Without Steps has enjoyed success on the festival circuit, earning 23 selections and many awards, including Best Short Documentary and Best Editing. It made its world premiere at the New Jersey International Film Festival and recently made its European premiere at Exeter Dance International Film Festival in England.
"The eye-opening short documentary Dancing Without Steps: The Art of Improvisation with Margaret Beals is a must-see film for those interested in dance and women artists. Margie Beals is a trailblazer and this excellent film shows why. Don't miss it!"
- Al Nigrin, Executive Director/Curator, New Jersey International Film Festival
Join acclaimed dance innovator, Margaret Beals, on her exploration of the art of improvisation. In this short documentary, Ms. Beals demonstrates the power and authenticity of improvisation as performance and as a tool of discovery for any creative endeavor.
Throughout Dancing Without Steps: The Art of Improvisation with Margaret Beals, audiences are offered glimpses of Ms. Beals’ extensive career in improvisational dance. One of the first solo dancers to perform whole concerts without set choreography, she started her early career in the free-wheeling atmosphere of the 1960's club and cabaret scene and continued her pioneering journey through five more decades.
In this film, Ms. Beals draws from various artists to give fuller context to her thoughts on improvisation. Keith Jarrett, renowned jazz pianist, reveals insights into his own creative process. The action paintings of Jackson Pollock and the powerful black and white abstractions of Franz Kline are used to further illustrate Ms. Beals’ ideas and techniques. Also included are brief excerpts from the works of the great modern dance choreographer Martha Graham and the celebrated dance/theatre choreographer Valerie Bettis.
Meredith Monk, award-winning composer, singer and creator of music-theater-film works, gives an insightful introduction to this latest documentary from Impulses Dance Theatre Arts, Inc. The company's previous award-winning film, “Impulses” (1974) gave audiences their first experience of a collaborative concert featuring improvisational artists from the different fields of music, dance and theatre.
Dancing Without Steps expresses the principles that animate Ms. Beals’ art while offering her experiences of improvisation to a new generation of dancers and artists from all disciplines.
Meet the Moment that is Dancing Without Steps.
Adriana Davis
Co-Director, Producer, Editor
D-Squared Media
Adriana Davis has worked in film, television and radio as a writer, producer, editor and voice actor since 1991, founding the production company D-Squared Media in 1995. Credits include documentaries THE LIFE OF FRANK INY (1999), SEARCHING FOR BAGHDAD” (2002), THE LAST JEWS OF BAGHDAD (2005) and SAVING THE IRAQI JEWISH ARCHIVES (2020) airing on PBS and at world-wide film festivals; the romantic comedy PLAY IT BY EAR (2005) starring EGOT Rita Moreno. She has received Telly Awards and Cine Golden Eagle Awards for her work with A&E and the History Channel.
