Breath Made Visible
May 07 - May 12, 2010
(Ruedi Gerber, Swtizerland, 2009, Beta-SP, 80 min)
Seattle Premiere
Sponsored by Velocity Dance and Northwest Dance Network
Since she was a small child, Anna Halprin has danced. Now at 89, she still possesses the grace and romanticism of her youth. This illuminating documentary, a lovingly rendered portrait of the Bay Area avant-garde dance pioneer, traces her groundbreaking career as a dancer and choreographer, as well as her devoted marriage to famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. In an intimate encounter with the artist, we see her rehearsing on her verdant backyard deck and performing at New York's Joyce Theater, teaching movement to seniors and dancing with Merce Cunningham, battling cancer and combating racism through movement in the wake of the Watts riots. Halprin has spent her life spreading a gospel of healing and wholeness through self-expression—an extraordinary story that unfolds, with the help of fascinating interviews and archival performance footage, as a moving and beautiful tribute to one of Northern California's most beloved and inspirational artists.
“A treasure trove of hitherto little-seen archival performance footage going back more than 50 years.” —Variety
"a well-deserved tribute to a woman who can’t stand still...Ruedi Gerber’s adoring documentary captures both the passion and the pioneering spirit of Ms. Halprin’s revolutionary performances." —NY Times
Watch the trailer...
