Dance for Camera
Through digital choreography, I translate the intimacy and playfulness of social partner dancing to screen dances that speak to the beautiful messiness of discovering self in relationship to another.
Submergence (2019)
Through the distortions and refractions of light and movement as a tango dancing couple is submerged underwater, the film evokes the multiple and shifting lenses through which we experience self in dialogue with another.
A Film by Juliet McMains
Featuring: Juliet McMains & Cristian Santesteban
Music: Ben Thomas
Vuelvo al Jardin (2020)
During the first few months of co-vid lockdown, we were missing tango community so much that we turned our garden into a milonga and our orange tree into a third dance partner. The title of the piece is an homage to the song "Vuelvo al Sur" composed by Astor Piazzolla which is reinterpreted for this film by the Swedish artists Kroop.
A Film by Juliet McMains
Featuring: Juliet McMains & Cristian Santesteban
Music: Kroop
Containment (2020)
A 12-second film created for Base Arts' 12-Second Film Festival in May 2020. The challenge of constraining the story to 12 seconds mirrored the experience of constraining our dancing to the living room during spring quarantine.
A Film by Juliet McMains
Featuring: Juliet McMains & Cristian Santesteban
Music: Ben Thomas
You--RMK Around the USA (2021)
A collaboration with Robert Moses Kin who, working with us over zoom, directed our improvisations in some surprising directions, resulting in inversions and deconstruction of tango-inspired movements.
Featuring: Juliet McMains & Cristian Santesteban
Choreography by Robert Moses in collaboration with the dancers
Editing by Cora Cliburn
Music: "U" by SoVoSó
"4 Star" by Robert Moses
How Not to Get Stepped on by your Own Feet (2021)
A film about three women's relationship to shoes.
Directed by Juliet McMains
Featuring: Taylor Crow, Faith Elde, Elana Skeers
Costume Design by Jordan Fell
Lighting Design by Peter Bracilano
Videography by Juliet McMains & Warren Woo
Editing by Juliet McMains
Music:
Molten sun, bequeath me unto you by Lucas Zeiter
MIDI.wav by Griffin Becker
Solo para mi by Lu-Ni
Channel 9 by Sir Gigalot
Milongueando en SF (2020)
During the first few months of lockdown in 2020, Cristian and I were lucky enough to be in the beautiful city of San Francisco where we could walk, run, and bike to amazing vistas. As an antidote to the anxiety and isolation, we created a means of sharing our views through the language I know best--dance.
Featuring: Juliet McMains, Cristian Santesteban, and San Francisco vistas
Music: "Fumando Espero" by Alfredo de Angelis
Keyhole Swingout (2021)
Before social dance venues begin to reopen in 2021, Ben White & Ariel Goh repurpose this urban landscape to become a playground for their lindyhop as they interpret the "Jo Jo" as played by Jonathan Doyle live at the Eastside Stomp, back when we took for granted live music and dancing.
Rogue Reflection (2022)
A tap dancer, discovering that her reflection refuses to mirror her movements, engages in a playful battle with herself.
Directed by: Juliet McMains
Featuring and co-choreography by: Rachel Zuraek
Music: Alex Dugdale
Lighting: Peter Bracilano
Costume: Jordan Fell
Listen to a podcast about making the film or read this interview about making the film from WildSound.
