Official Trailer
“Moment after moment, the dancing makes one catch one’s breath. As each dancer speaks about the experience, you feel the fun, excitement, and beauty that made them likewise catch their own breaths.”
“The life of the dance belongs to its performers....the workshoppers make a terrific case for the beauty, risk, and dignity inherent in the study and performance of dancing on an Olympian level.”
“August Pace: 1989-2019 [is] a going back in time, one that is so much more than the reconstruction of a dance from 1989....The film, a vivid glimpse of [the dancers’] focus, attention, commitment to what they recall in their present older bodies and lives, is enthralling. The love of the work, their brave work in the work.”
Thirty years after the world premiere of legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham’s August Pace, the original cast members gather once again in a New York City studio to teach their roles to a younger generation. Their reunion is a grand experiment in group transmission where the older dancers rediscover the work only to let it go and see it anew as observers.
In this fly-on-the-wall documentary, we witness the original cast both in archival footage and in the studio as, with touching poignancy and humor, they grapple with movement they danced in their prime. The young artists, making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, eagerly draw on their predecessor’s knowledge to take on these same challenges with fresh energy and determination.
Along the way, new bonds are formed against a background of memories, stories, and laughter.
People
Daniel Madoff (Director, Editor) is a film director, cinematographer, editor, and producer. His work includes award winning films which have screened worldwide as well as commercials for national television. He has created content for The New York Times, BBC America, Anheuser Busch, Bacardi, Grey Goose, St Germain, Dewar's, Michelob Ultra, Sterling Wine, BMW, Public Hotels, Breitling, People Magazine, Swarovski, Crocs, Footlocker, KPMG, Linked In, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Celebrity Series of Boston, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Trisha Brown Dance Company, BalletX, Princeton University, Johns Hopkins, SUNY Purchase, Hunter College, East Carolina University, All Arts/PBS, among others. Daniel was a dancer with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He served as Director of Media for the Merce Cunningham Trust during Cunningham’s centennial celebration.
(Photo by Lisa Iancin)
Patricia Lent (Producer, Cast Member) grew up in McLean, Virginia and is a graduate of the University of Virginia (BA) and Bank Street College of Education (MSEd). She danced for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (1984-1993) and White Oak Dance Project (1994-1996), and taught elementary school at P.S. 234 in Lower Manhattan (1998-2007). In 2009, Lent was named a trustee of the Merce Cunningham Trust, and currently serves as director of licensing. Lent began teaching technique and repertory workshops at the Merce Cunningham Studio in the late 1980s. In recent years, she has staged Cunningham’s work for numerous companies, conservatories, schools, and museums worldwide. She received a 2019 Bessie Award for her staging of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event.
Ken Tabachnick (Producer) is the Executive Director of the Merce Cunningham Trust. Ken has a broad background and experience in the arts. He originally trained as a lighting designer. In the 1990s, Ken did fundraising and produced the IFP Gotham Awards. He received his J.D. from Fordham Law School and practiced in matters related to the arts, also serving as the managing member of indieWIRE LLC. From 2004-10 he was general manager of New York City Ballet, overseeing operations. Ken has been a dean at Purchase College, SUNY, and deputy dean at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a former trustee of Dance USA and Westbeth Artists’ Housing, which housed the Cunningham studio for many years, and he currently is a director of the Stephen Petronio Company, the Gilbert Hemsley Lighting Programs, and the Studio School of Design.
Josh Madoff is a composer, sound designer, and multi-instrumentalist based out of Philadelphia, PA. Josh’s last two films won Best Animated Short at SXSW Film Festival and Best Feature Documentary at the NFMLA awards. His last record has been widely played by DJs in the US, Scotland, Egypt and the UK.
Cast
Cunningham Dancers
Victoria Finlayson – Robert Swinston
Emma Diamond – Dennis O’Connor
Carol Teitelbaum – David Kulick
Kimberly Bartosik – Chris Komar
Helen Barrow – Robert Wood
Larissa McGoldrick – Michael Cole
Patricia Lent – Alan Good
Jenifer Weaver
Workshop Dancers
Vanessa Knouse – Ernesto Breton
Caitlin Javech – Justin Lynch
Caroline Haidet – Reid Bartelme
Mariah Anton – Ryan Pliss
Chaery Moon – Gary Champi
Eve Jacobs – Mac Twining
Calleja Smiley Welsh – Logan Pedon
Jaqueline Calle
Workshop Understudies
Emily Bernet, Emma Cohen, Andrew Harper, Love Hellgren