Films.Dance, International Film Series Featuring Artists from More Than 25 Countries, Premieres TOKE Free to the Community

Two of Los Angeles’ foremost cultural organizations—the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts—have teamed up with Chicago’s Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater to present Films.Dance, a groundbreaking new global free film series produced by and under the creative direction of LA-based Jacob Jonas The Company.  Films.Dance is being made available to the public at no charge. One of the most ambitious international dance film projects ever undertaken, Films.Dance engages more than 150 artists from 52 cities in 25 countries, culminating in 15 short films that have been shot during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toke premieres February 1, 2021, 9 AM (PT) and then can be streamed on demand. Set in the urban metropolis of London, Toke is an intimate portrait of Danish-born dancer Toke Broni Strandby. An inspiring story about triumph, Toke is a celebration of the beautiful resilience of the human spirit.  London-based award-winning filmmaker NONO and cinematographer Eira Wyn Jones captured Toke’s unique story, set to an original score by Paulo Gallo and with an original costume by Japanese designer Kazuya Kojima.

Director: NONO

Choreographer: Stuart Shugg

Featuring:  Toke Broni Strandby

Composer: Paulo Gallo

Cinematographer: Eira Wyn Jones

Costume Designed By: Kazuya Kojima

Produced by: Jacob Jonas The Company

Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by the vision of Jacob Jonas, the worldwide series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences. Filmed in locations ranging from Amsterdam, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, and London, to Los Angeles, New York, Nigeria, and Spain—Films.Dance exists at the intersection of dance, music, fashion, and film.

“Our goals are to create a global arts community, to elevate the power of dance through non-traditional collaborations and to engage digital audiences in innovative ways,” said Jacob Jonas, Executive Producer of Films.Dance. “The diversity of the artists and their explorations has fostered new ways of thinking and has allowed the formation of deep relationships across physical borders. I look forward to launching this series worldwide.”

Each Monday through May 3, 2021, one film will premiere for free at 9 a.m. (PT) on the Web at Films.Dance, on Instagram on the @films.dance account, and the Films.Dance Facebook page. 

The initiative is presented in partnership with Somewhere Magazine, and co-presented by the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts/CSUN.