An Oscar-nominated composer,
a renowned prima ballerina turned actor, and an international star choreographer suddenly agree to lead a hero’s journey of 15 locally celebrated but not yet globally known dancers each competing to appear in an improbable “film-first” modern
dance premiere.
…
No one realizes until the very end how their unusual choreography and camerawork will revolutionize the way dance will forever be captured on film.
…
“Dancer 2”, Leonid Afremov (1955-2019); RoGallery New York
If you are using your smartphone, it’ll be best to turn it sideways to see the images, videos, and captions in full.
Arc and Sound
of Dance
“Dancer 2”, Leonid Afremov (1955-2019); RoGallery New York
…
An Oscar-nominated composer, a renowned prima ballerina turned actor, and an international star choreographer suddenly agree to lead a hero’s journey of 15 locally celebrated but not yet globally known dancers each competing to appear in an improbable “film-first” modern dance premiere.
…
No one realizes until the very end how their unusual choreography and camerawork will revolutionize the way dance will forever be captured on film.
…“Arc and Sound of Dance” is a proposed eight episode docuseries and immersive video fusion that chronicles the creation of a first-of-its-kind 15 to 20-minute-long immersive dance and music “film-first” digital production using new-form one-shot technology to create original choreography and dance. It will be filmed in Manhattan, London and/or Paris, anchored in a “how-this-was-created” series ideal for streaming by a major streamer. This first-of-its-kind production marries the creative imagination of Pulitzer Prize winner composer David Lang with the talents of dance creators, some established, and others just emerging in the US, the UK, the EU, and Ukraine.
“Moderne Musik — Moderner Tanz” Karl Jakob Hirsch (Germany, 1892-1952)
…The proposed immersive video created during the filming of Arc and Sound of Dance, combined with the documentary and scripted backstories are designed to inspire both general audiences and lovers of the performing arts, all of whom have an appetite to discover a hero’s journey: “Why did they take these risks? How did they create this? What can I learn from how they did it?”
…Carrying forward the creative focus of prize winner docuseries like “The Social Dilemma”, “Love on the Spectrum”, “America’s Sweethearts”, or “Cheer”, “Arc and Sound of Dance” is a human story of emotion, ambition, identity, high-stakes creativity, and technology turned on its head: freelance dancers competing to co-create a new-form screen-native work with an award-winning composer, a world-class choreographer and a prima ballerina already featured in Amazon Prime’s “Etoile”. They’re fighting for authorship, visibility, and the chance to define the future of contemporary dance.
Jordan James Bridge, Choreographer photo credit George Harvey
…The docuseries will match original choreography and dance movement to David Lang compositions. The story will be recounted in a multi-episode docuseries: how and why three prize-winning creatives working together for the first time, Amazon Prime “Etoile” star ballerina Constance Devernay, Oscar-nominee and Pulitzer prize winning composer David Lang, and star choreographer Jordan James Bridge, agreed to unite with dance artists who were themselves not yet well known, all collaborating to create a compelling and arguably “impossible” 15-20 minute-long 2D video that is actually immersive and breaks through the fourth wall without VR. “Impossible” refers to the commonly-understood industry view that a 2D video cannot be immersive, and that immersiveness can be achieved in a digital video recording only by employing virtual or augmented reality technology forcing the viewer to wear VR goggles.
…One of the most potent “Arc and Sound of Dance” creative opportunities is the choice of music and more, including the musicians producing the actual sound, its instrumentalization, and its interplay with the choreography. NPAFE and Lang have jointly identified several of the composer’s compositions, including his “Cheating, Lying, Stealing”, that will underlie the choreography. Given their own long and successful career experience collaborating with musicians, conductors and orchestras when matching music to concert dance, the dance principals chosen for “Arc and Sound of Dance” are especially sensitive to – and excited by – the opportunity of lending their own creative process to fully capture the presence of these Lang compositions.
How a 2D video becomes immersive,30 seconds from Manon Servage’s PAINT, video by France’s Aubin Rebillard with VibesDanceTV
…The resulting work product will bring to global audiences what will be the first of its kind immersively recorded film-first choreographic creation anchored in Lang’s genius, coupled with an expertly (and imaginatively!) filmed chronology of people in the performing arts going for the gold. This approach is central to the project’s overall value proposition for major streaming platforms: they are on a constant search for “going for the gold” storyline productions that will grow their subscriber base.
…“Arc and Sound of Dance” reflects NPAFE’s mission to grow the audience for ballet and contemporary dance by opening the way for tomorrow’s stars of choreography, dance, and complex immersive digital recording of dance movement. Not nearly as well-known as they should be (but they will be!), these artists are nevertheless the very leaders who today are using their outside-the-box creative genius to uncover and employ new hi-tech ways for marrying music and dance performance to sound and immersive digitally-recorded choreographed media.
Click the image to see and hear David Lang’s “Cheating, Lying, Stealing (on YouTube)
…The project focus and production scheduling will extend to digitally and immersively recording in documentary form the work-in-progress (WIP) as well as the final work product, making it among the very first instances of memorializing for educational purposes how the merging of two compelling art forms into immersive choreographed videography was achieved. A 2026-27 production timeline for the 15-20 minute “Arc and Sound of Dance” immersive video will be supported by digital collaboration resources during 2026 for recording WIP footage for the documentary even if one or more principals cannot be in the same place at the same time. This technology-based approach, developed during Covid, makes it possible to link choreographic innovators to composers, musicians and dancers to jointly collaborate and rehearse even when located in different cities.
(Note: “Value Proposition” is the first of six sections with treatment details. As you scroll down, you will see the others.)
Principals
David Lang, New York City – David Lang is one of the United States’ most renowned music composers, internationally celebrated for his unique voice in contemporary classical music and experimental music forms. His compositions explore profound themes such as identity, memory, and transformation and have been performed by leading orchestras and ensembles worldwide. Lang is deservedly recognized for building bridges between classical and contemporary music, and likewise for his role as co-founder, together with Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe, of the influential and indeed one of-a-kind Bang On A Can music collective which has itself played a crucial role in promoting new music globally. A Los Angeles native now residing in New York City, Lang won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music for “The Little Match Girl Passion”, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations in 2010 for his music score in Paolo Sorrentino’s film “Youth”, and multiple Grammy awards all in recognition of his unique command of the musical language. Today, as he continues to push the boundaries of musical innovation in his authoring of original compositional works, Lang also teaches a studio of graduate-level composition students and a class in composition to performance majors at the Yale School of Music, evidence of his non-stop commitment to inspire young musicians with his power and theirs to capture audience imagination with the special beauty not only of his own creative genius and instead – and especially – theirs.
Jordan James Bridge, London – Jordan James Bridge is multi award winning choreographer and performer using the medium of dance for stage, fashion & film. James Bridge has his work speak from a personal place. An intrinsic movement language and nuances of interconnectivity, sensuality and queer culture drives his creative process, absorbing from own experience and leaning in with an abstract approach to both movement and stylistic decisions which fundamentally ground the work. After graduating from London Contemporary Dance School with a First Class BA Hons in Contemporary Dance, he started pursuing his performing career, working for Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Tavaziva Dance, Michael Clark Company and Company Wayne McGregor where he is present. James Bridge has toured extensively worldwide performing works by Wayne. Entity, FAR, Atomos, Tree of Codes, Autobiography, Living Archive and Outlier. He has also been deeply involved in many projects ranging from fashion, screen and stage alongside his touring work, including +/- HUMAN at the Roundhouse in London in collaboration with The Royal Ballet.
Constance Devernay-Laurence, London – Originally from France, now living in London, and recognized for her impeccable technique, expressive range, and radiant stage presence as principal dancer, Constance Devernay-Laurence has received accolades and critical acclaim throughout her career, notably for her role as Scottish Ballet principal dancer, 2 UK national dance awards nominations and the 2022 National Dance Critics Circle Award for Best Female Classical Performance for her role of Swanilda in the Scottish Ballet’s production of Coppélia. Her ability to embody the emotional depth of each character and translate it into breathtaking movements has captivated audiences worldwide in many ballets, including Swan Lake, Mayerling, Coppélia, The Snow Queen, The Nutcracker, and more. Her performances leave a lasting impression on audiences, who are moved by her grace, precision, and ability to convey profound emotions through dance. Currently central to the completion of a major studio’s production of a new film series, Devernay-Laurence continues her leadership role teaching young students and masterminding Scotland’s singular Ballet Grand Prix, the Scottish nation’s sole annual convention offering competitive advancement opportunities to young ballet and contemporary dance students from all over the world.
Anastasiya Kharchenko, Ukraine– Anastasiya Kharchenko has been sought out not only by her own countrymen as teacher, choreographer, producer and performer but also by the likes of Elton John, Mercedes Benz, America’s Got Talent and Florence + The Machine to make their productions and brands look great. Among her professional achievements: national and international recognition for her non-stop commitment to educate young students of dance. Acknowledged internationally as a leader in creating performances and also making music video projects, short movies, art projects and commercial shootings, she has now placed herself among a tiny handful of world-class choreographers successfully to choreograph original new works, using Zoom technology to rehearse dancers thousands of miles away. Kharchenko’s home was destroyed by the Russian invaders early in the initial 2022 invasion. Her parents were forced to evacuate to the south of Ukraine and she herself initially escaped to London. But not for long; she returned after six months to Kyiv and stays there, teaching, producing, choreographing and performing: “My place is here until the war is won.”
Lead Dancers
Joan Dwiartanto, Singapore and New York City – A highly renowned Dance Artist at age 22 who has already achieved international recognition, Joan (jo-ANN) Dwiartanto stands as one of Singapore’s most successful and versatile dance talents. She has achieved great acclaim and commercial success as a Dance Artist, and she has performed in some of the finest venues around the world. In conjunction with globally renowned studios, companies, and ensembles, Ms. Dwiartanto has risen to the highest ranks of the field of dance and choreography, and she continues to advance the reputations of distinguished stages, dance productions, and events both abroad and in the United States. New York City Ballet Star dancer and choreographer Justin Peck has said of Dwiartanto: I first encountered Ms. Dwiartanto in 2021 during her time performing at Julliard when she served as an esteemed dancer for my original choreographed piece Become a Mountain. Throughout our collaboration, I was consistently impressed by Ms. Dwiartanto and her incredible talent for dance.
Manon Servage, Paris & London – Born and raised in Quebec and France and now based in London, Manon Servage at 21 years old has already become known as one of Europe’s most imaginative new composers of contemporary choreographic dance magic, both live and digitally incorporating choreographed camera work vital for producing immersive video works. Self-evident in her works is the power to translate the essence of an emotion or idea into the touch of dance that intensely portrays a story just by movement, with nary a word spoken. Servage is as much a doer as thinker, aware as few others are of how complex it can be to mount a performance from the very start of a moment’s thought all the way through to final production.
Felicity Chadwick, London – London-based Felicity Chadwick has an uncanny laser focus on translating her inner thoughts about how a body can express a concept, a story, even the intimacy of a seconds-long visual poetic moment into original choreographic movement. She is an emerging leader in the world of contemporary dance movement on whom leading choreographers want to choreograph, notably her Ballet Nights appearances including her stunning May 2024 headline performance of choreographer Nick Shoesmith’s “Insomnia” at London’s Ministry of Sound. A dance artist whose own stunning Instagram reels, especially her improvs, show the courage of risk taking when presenting her own dance originality, Five years from now, Chadwick says, she would relish being able to tell her nephews and nieces how privileged she felt being called upon to present live and video performances “of my own direction of contemporary dance and ballet.”
Sandy Cieslak, New York – A New Yorker by birth, Sandy Cieslak is known to family, friends, and colleagues as a middle school French teacher. No matter her full-time five-day-a-week teaching schedule, this Summa Cum Laude graduate of Stony Brook University (degree in French Literature, World Language Education, and a minor in Dance who also holds a Master’s Degree in Childhood Education from Hunter College in Manhattan. Cieslak takes the 1½ hour each-way commuter train expedition to Manhattan at least twice a week whether to show up at Steps on Broadway, Joffrey Ballet School, or wherever the class is strong and the lighting fluorescent and unflattering, not simply to practice, refine, and better her dance self but also to give meaning to her inner voice: she is determined to set aside a stable teaching career and instead to dive deeply back into the incredibly competitive industry of dance, and to inspire others to follow her, to want to work with her, to want to dance with her.
Ana Brooks, New York – A Utah native whose first full contract after receiving her 2022 BFA from Brigham Young University was the Ballet Fantastique Ballet Company in Eugene, Oregon, Brooks is a artist whose eloquent dance voice, in words as much as in movement, drove her to make a complex decision: that if she was ever to succeed in pushing herself beyond the predictable, it was going to be in the rough and tumble of New York City’s industry of dance. Which is exactly what she did, bringing with her not only a preference for classical ballet and contemporary dance but also a fierce if friendly determination to present choreographic originality. Brooks’ focus reaches to how the spoken word can be integrated with dance movement, how video and film can be leveraged to break through the fourth wall, and how an unconventional setting, perhaps a breakout room, perhaps a private mansion, can be the setting for the evocative intimacy of storytelling by the movement of a dancer’s body.
Emily Masia, New York – Gracious and positive in all that she says and does, Emily Masia is a dancer-choreographer of distinct passion and originality in thought, words, movement, and especially the choice of time, place and music to match her creativity. Add to this: her entrepreneurial courage to live and work in the intensely competitive New York City world of dance, together with her willingness to share her know-how with students of dance at Juilliard and beyond. Especially striking: the importance that Masia assigns to collaboration, namely sharing ideas about how to approach complex challenges and define solutions to get to where she and her dance colleagues might want to go. The grace of her dance movement bespeaks her self-confidence that people watching her perform will feel as well as see the power of her original dance authorship.
Sofia Naumenko, Ukraine and France – After her first-place win in the October 2021 Young American Grand Prix (YAGP) Junior Division regionals in Berlin, the then-14-year-old and now-17-year-old student of ballet Sofia Naumenko had been selected by YAGP to compete at the YAGP Annual Finals in Tampa, Florida April 12-23, 2022. But then, in late February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, leveling a good portion of Sofia’s hometown of Bucha, murdering many of its citizens, making the US trip impossible, and forcing her mother Elizabeta not only to find safety for her daughter outside Ukraine but also to enable Sofia to continue her high school education and ballet training. Incredibly thoughtful people joining with NPAFE right after the invasion began to support Sofia’s tuition, lodging, medical insurance, and living expenses as she found her way to France and was selected to study at the world-famous Princess Grace Academy in Monaco and then (and now) at the prestigious Hightower Academy in Cannes. There, Sofia’s genius and inner drive has reached beyond classical ballet to take on the physical and intellectual challenges of mastering contemporary ballet and modern dance choreography, not just performance. Her choreographic and dance skills are now acclaimed not just by the Hightower faculty but also by audiences in Cannes who have been lucky enough to see her productions at the Cannes Palais des Festivals where the famed annual Cannes Film Festival is held.
Production
Meghan Lennox, Los Angeles. – Serving Arc and Sound of Dance as screenwriting consultant and eventual screenwriter, Meghan Lennox began writing on any surface that would support a #2 pencil at a young age. While teaching high school English, she began studying creative writing at the New School before abruptly abandoning NY for a career in film in LA. There, Meghan cast several features for Sony, multiple Network pilots and produced the indie feature ‘Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town.’ After a decade of hiding away her own writing, she wrote and directed her first short film ‘Show Pony,’ starring Britt Lower and Clara McGregor, which premiered at the 2022 Sarasota Film Festival. Meghan has spent the last year writing—screenplays, flash fiction, creative nonfiction and just completed her first feature length script which is currently a Semi-finalist at the Atlanta Film Festival. Her essay, Lemonade (This Bird) was just published on dynamic online arts space, Khôra and her short creative nonfiction piece, ‘Emptying Spaces,’ was published on the literary blog, SAD GIRLS CLUB. She is grateful to have picked up that pencil again. She lives in Los Angeles with her two indubitably hilarious boys, Jack and Hudson.
Isabelle Nelson, Amsterdam. – Isabelle Nelson is a Distinguished Graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance and, upon graduating, commenced work with JAVA Dance Company. Based in Amsterdam, she has toured both nationally and internationally, performing in Festivals and premiere dance productions throughout New Zealand, Australia and Europe, having choreographed, performed, and managed new dance works in Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Scandinavia, along the way receiving the vote for Hollands Got Talent ‘Audience’s Favourite.’ Nelson has also collaborated with diverse range of artists and companies throughout her years in Europe. Her skills extend to the creation and production of prize winning immersive dance films, reflecting her special knowledge of choreographing camera people so that, when they are recording raw footage, they capture the intimacy of the choreographic concept as well as the dancers’ movements. Her drive to assure that the final digital product actually breaks through the fourth wall encompasses her own post-production expertise in merging sound and visual, a quite rare skill among dance choreographers. Especially praiseworthy is Nelson’s focus on the nitty-gritty of making complex things happen. Inevitably recording ideas with pen and notebook in hand when the time comes for working out “How are we going to get this project done?”, Nelson is one of those rare performing artists with a sixth sense for carefully and defining what has to be done, when, and by whom.
Neil Shearer – Manchester, England. An award-winning creator of international standing in the world of marketing and advertising for his compelling photographic and digital videographic works, Neil Shearer is among that small handful of geniuses behind the camera who are sought after time and again by major international brands including Ford, Reebok, Red Bull, and Adidas, sports organizations including Sport England, and a very long list of respected UK consumer brands. Shearer’s fascination with capturing dance in stills and video is self-evident in his own “Just Dance” image series, a growing body of photographic and video work with dance freelancers, choreographers, dance academies, and even the youngest of dance students. Shearer is coupling all that with a strong professional reach to filmmakers of dance who are themselves determined, as he is, to find new ways to incorporate camera movement for immersively recording contemporary choreographic works. Of special value to Arc and Sound of Dance is the depth and breadth of Shearer’s research, when the medium is 2D rather than VR or AR, into how to use advanced photographic, videographic, green screening and other high- and low-tech solutions to make sure that the end product is unmistakably “immersive”.
Katherine Bilbao, Florida/NYCity – Now up to her elbows in alligators at Fordham University’s Film Studies program, Katherine Bilbao brings a rare combination of imagination and entrepreneurial drive coupled with a determination to become the go-to script writer and screen production imagineer known for creating visual and storytelling wonderment. Originally from Florida but long since making peace with – and mastering – life in the Big Apple, she’s already been chosen to turn film world night into day. For example, at Dream Three Films, a Manhattan based film production company, Katherine was tasked for script reading and coverage, research, budgeting, event planning, talent recruitment and development of pitch materials. What’s more, as of this writing, she’s serving as Associate Literary Columnist & Film Podcast Producer at The Creative Process & One Planet Podcast. In sum, Katherine brings a comprehensive background in creative writing and strong interest in commercial production, filmmaking, and a passion for the industry of classical ballet and contemporary dance, talents that are well-serving the Arc and Sound of Dance production.
Holly Borrelli, Florida/NYCity – A senior honors student at Florida State University finishing a dual degree in dance and finance, a previous Corps de Ballet member for the Tallahassee Ballet, and a current guest choreographer for the company, Holly Borrelli brings an especially sharp eye to the art of charting not only dance but also the business processes to make it all happen – how to get the too-many-things done in exactly the right order so that we actually get to where we have to be. She speaks of how, during her four university years, she discovered her unique artistic voice and calling to become a professional choreographer, goals that by any measure in the highly competitive industry of dance are not easy to achieve. Maybe so, but one meeting with her confirms that she has the power to make it all happen. Not just anything will do for Holly: for sure her extraordinary dance filmwork, conceived, choreographed, performed, and filmed in the US and Paris, testify to her pursuit of perfection. Her choreography, Her own dance performance skills, And this: a full understanding of how digital technology has to be tamed if beauty is to be the result. She certainly knows how to do all that. And more.
Grace Copeland, New York City – Grace Copeland is an acclaimed go-to producer/director of theatrical media based in New York City. To support her own creative endeavors, she is a freelance theater photographer and dance filmmaker. Copeland had no background in theater or dance and instead stumbled into the arts industry, as she puts it, through God’s favor and good friends who believed in her before she believed in herself. She is currently producing a series of dance films called Dance In Development, which supports theatermakers developing new work by creating dance films of original songs written for the stage. She is also producing a dance series called Unpolished Movement Portraits that celebrates the humanity of movement artists. Her producing credits for live shows include IJM x Broadway: Until All Are Free and Ryan Dunn: A Seasonal Playlist. Her photo exhibition credits include Rockefeller Center’s annual Flag Project (2021 and 2022) and Moshava Art Gallery in the West Village (2023). Copeland also is on the leadership team for Renaissance, a creative collective of redemptive artists in Manhattan fostering communion and creation.
Note: Manon Servage whose performance role is documented in the Dancers section of this webpage will also play significant roles in the project production phases, given her expertise in employing advanced technology for digital recording dance movement.
Marketing
NPAFE’s internal marketing team for “Arc And Sound of Dance” is guided by Nicole Baker, New York City-based marketer, choreographer, dancer, and key Little Amal team member. Significant marketing challenges flow from “Arc And Sound of Dance” that must be resolved by an experienced marketing agency that can also subcontract with a high-end PR service to assure recognition by the media of the entire sweep of the production process, not just the final digital product. In this regard, NPAFE is guided by “lessons learned” by the production team for Misty Copland’s “Flower”, which still faces significant obstacles to the successful distribution of the filmwork. In a word, there must be sophisticated reach to media right from the very start if the “Arc And Sound of Dance” digital work is to reach global audiences. We are confident that this result will be achieved: NPAFE itself has experience and relationships with a range of marketing firms for evaluating their capacity to deliver the goods; this said, we would seek and welcome recommendations from the project’s key principals and their teams about agencies with which they have had positive experience.
Distribution
Potential distribution platforms – the list will initially be expanded based on recommendations from the chosen marketing and PR agencies…but then narrowed to focus on the platforms best positioned to assure global distribution and availability to educational institutions of both work products, the immersive video and the documentary series.
PBS CANVAS
Netflix/Amazon Prime
Berlinale: Berlin International Film Festival
Numeridanse
Marquee TV
Arte.fr
Sundance
BFI London
UK Film Festival
Cannes
BBC Four
Library Of Congress
Want to know more about Arc and Sound of Dance? Here’s how.
Want to know more about Arc and Sound of Dance? Here’s how.
The NPAFE website uses cookies solely to limit the appearance of informational messages created only by us which we believe may be of interest to you. If you are a NPAFE performing arts member, your membership information is also stored in a cookie on your computer, to speed up access to member pages. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies as noted here. Learn more about our Privacy Policy by clicking here.
We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
Essential Website Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
Other external services
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
Privacy Policy
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
