Unforgettable Swiss Dance Films

[Deirdre Towers]

7 great dance films from Switzerland shown in current and earlier Dance on Camera Festivals.

BÖDÄLÄ – Dance The Rhythm
U.S. Premiere - Nominated for Jury Prize
Gitta Gsell, 2010; Switzerland, 78m
Bodala is a Swiss rhythm tradition, and this witty film and its dance practitioners take various traditional dance forms and re-imagine and re-invent them to suit their desires, in interiors and exteriors of exceptional beauty.

CONTRECOUPS
Pascal Magnin, Switzerland, 1998; 23m
Choreographer Guilherme Botelho adapted this urban ballet for the screen
in which two men and a woman battle with their inner demons.

Il Segreto Di Pulcinella 
Carlo Ippolito, Swiss, 1997, 43'
This imaginative blend of live action and computer animation integrates members of the Movers Ballet company into the drawings of director Carlo Ippolito in a magical version of Stravinsky's Commedia dell'arte-inspired ballet. The production is choreographed by Bruno Steiner; Muhai Tang conducts the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. Features remarkable vocals by soprano Antonella Balducci, tenor Ruben Amoretti, and bass Furio Zanasi. 

 

INEARTHIA
Simon Halbedo, Nazario Branca, Maren Sandmann, Switzerland, 2006; 2:15m
A creative attempt to spin the Earth. This short stands out as proof that with a clear idea and execution, you don't need a large budget, staff to create an amazing video.

 

Moebius Strip
Vincent Pluss, Switzerland, 2001; 26m
Winner of the Dance Screen Award in Monaco, this video features a seamless weaving of dance and camera choreographed by Gilles Jobin.

 

One Bullet Left
Markus Fischer, Switzerland, 2003; 26m
Choreographer Richard Wherlock and director/producer Markus Fischer team up with dancers of the Ensemble of the Basel Ballet to create a subtly wrought dance narrative in the style of American film noir.

 

REINES D’UN JOUR
Pascal Magnin, Switzerland, 1996; 28m
Six tumbling bodies on mountain slopes of the Alps, caught between Heaven and Earth, among the cows and the villagers. This strikingly visual and sensual film triggered a wave of understanding among dancers when it was shown in Dance on Camera Festival 1997. Marie-Louise Nespolo, Christine Kung choreographed the work and performed with Veronique Ferrero, Roberto Molo, Mikel Aristegui, Antonio Bull.