Films.Dance, International Film Series Featuring Artists from More Than 25 Countries, Premieres MATCH, Free

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.

The next film in the series, MATCH, premieres on February 15, 2021, 9 AM (PT), and will subsequently be available on demand. Five choreographers, 46 dancers, 20 countries—Match is dance not bound by theater walls or limited by international borders. Dancers from the world’s leading companies join together in Match; with original choreography by Emily Kikta (New York City Ballet), Jamar Roberts (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Oliver Starpov (Royal Danish Ballet), Peter Walker (New York City Ballet) and Xin Ying (Martha Graham Dance Company).

Directors & Editors: Peter Walker & Emily Kikta

Choreographers: Emily Kikta, Jamar Roberts, Oliver Starpov, Peter Walker, Xin Ying?

Composer: Jay Wadley

Featuring: Rocio Agüero, Marcel Anselmé, Edson Barbosa, Rishan Benjamin, Nardia Boodoo, Renan Cerdeiro, Adji Cissoko, Monike Cristina, Christopher D’Ariano, Patricia Delgado, Michaela DePrince, Naoya Ebe, Kiara Felder, Ruan Galdino, Angelica Generosa, James Gilmer, Stanley Glover, Alejandro Gonzalez, Dara Holmes, Michael Jackson Jr., Drew Jacoby, Emily Kikta, Lloyd Knight, Joseph Kudra, Christopher Kunzelmann, Chun-Wing Lam, Allister Madin, Oliver Marcus Starpov, Heather Ogden, Nancy Osbaldeston, Jamar Roberts, Robert Robinson, Emma Rosenzweig-Bock, Kanika Skye Carr, Gabrielle Sprauve, Eleftheria Stamou, Addie Tapp, Mike Tyus, Jon Vallejo, Tess Voelker, Peter Walker, Jill Wilson, Xin Ying, Patricia Zhou

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  https://www.films.dance, on Instagram on the @films.dance account, and the Films.Dance Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/globalfilmseries.

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.