Dance and figure it out together. Mental health is key, let's not avoid noticing the effects it has on us all.
Mental health is key. In this film, we follow three separate individuals in their therapy sessions as they each deal with their unique circumstances. This film revolves around the dialogues happening in the minds of patients during their therapy sessions. In these therapy sessions, we are enlightened by on-going conversations and unclear dialogues that reveal highly charged emotional feelings and struggles.
This film was made by a team of co-creators whose intellectual inputs were invaluable contributions to the dance film creative process. As such, each cast member was selected through a closed audition process. The audition process and decisions were made through close observation of the individual actor-dancers’ work and integrity to the art of dance making. The cast of co-creators were selected from the VCU Department of Dance + Choreography as a sole entity. An outside videographer was brought in through VCU Department funding to be the paid DOP and editor for the film production.
Intellectual rights reserved and in the care of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and VCU’s Department of Dance + Choreography.
Videographer JHSU Media and assisted by Jillian Sanders.
Therapy (short film), was rehearsed for about two weeks during the pandemic. I work with each dancer separately to avoid sustained contact and possible exposure to COVID-19.
Shown here is Nelson Mejia in his creative process, exploring at the barre with the bed:
Clip of Megan Siepka playing WAR DEFLECTOR in the running scene:
Clip of Keola Jones playing WAR EMOTIONAL - dancing in the stairs (rehearsals and performance clips):
Clip from the last scenes; Nelson Mejia playing WAR NARRATOR - ending scene in the bed):
Music Composed by Brian Bryson: