Jody Sperling Nominated for a World Choreography Award

Jody Sperling has been selected as one of the nominees for a World Choreography Award in the Motion Picture Category for The Dancer. At the ceremony, she will also perform an as-yet-unseen solo that was originally choreographed for the film, but was never recorded.

"I am deeply honored to be nominated for a WCA award among such an extraordinary roster of dance artists," said Ms. Sperling. "And, to have the opportunity to perform a piece created for The Dancer but never filmed will make the event even more thrilling."

The French feature film "The Dancer" (La Danseuse, Dir. Stephanie Di Giusto 2016) is a visually sumptuous drama set amidst the opulence of Belle Époque Paris that charts the saga of modern dance icon and dance technologist Loïe Fuller. Time Lapse Dance Artistic Director Jody Sperling, who is the preeminent exponent of Fuller's dance style, was choreographer, creative consultant, and coach for the film. Sperling worked intensively with the film's star, the French singer/actress Soko, training her 5-6 hours per day for a period of 5 weeks helping her embody the role of "La Loïe." The film garnered six César Award nominations, including a win for Best Costume Design.

The Dancer premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in the "Un Certain Regard" category and made the NYC debut at Lincoln Center Film Society's Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Festival in March 2017. The Dancer will be releasedin the United States and Canada on December 1, 2017.

The World Choreography Awards 2017 will take place at The Saban Theater,8440 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, on Monday, October 23, 2017 at 7:30pm. The World Choreography Awards (WCA) honors and celebrates creativity, diversity and innovation by recognizing excellence in the art of choreography around the globe. Actor/dancer Kenny Wormald (FOOTLOOSE, AMC's "Fear The Walking Dead") will host the awards show, and will be joined a number of special guests.

SPECIAL GUESTS:
Debbie Allen (Actor/director/producer/choreographer, "Grey's Anatomy")
Mandy Moore (Emmy-winning choreographer who did LA LA LAND)
Vincent Rodriguez III ("Crazy Ex Girlfriend" actor)
Gabrielle Ruiz ("Crazy Ex Girlfriend" actress)
The Mouseketeers from Disney's Club Mickey Mouse
Carrie Ann Inaba ("Dancing With The Stars" judge)
Allison Holker (Emmy-nominated choreographer/dancer)
Brian Friedman (Director/choreographer)
Stephen "tWitch" Boss (Dancer/DJ)
Cheryl Burke (Dancer/TV host)
Anita Mann (Emmy-winning choreographer, dancer/actress) *Recipient of the Joe Tremaine Legacy Award*

NOMINEES INCLUDE:
Ryan Heffington (choreographer for BABY DRIVER, "The OA")
Kathryn Burns (choreographer for "Crazy Ex Girlfriend", "Key and Peele")
Jody Sperling (choreographer for THE DANCER)
and more!

(Full list of nominees is available at http://worldchoreographyawards.com/.)

Presenters for the night will include Emmy award winning choreographer Mandy Moore (who also choreographed the critically acclaimed LA LA LAND), Director/Actor/Producer/Choreographer Debbie Allen, The Mouseketeers from Disney's Club Mickey Mouse, Dancing With The Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, Emmy-nominated choreographer/dancer Allison Holker, director/choreographer Brian Friedman, dancer and DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss, dancer/TV host Cheryl Burke, choreographer Joe Tremaine (who the WCA legacy award is named after), and choreographer Tricia Miranda.

A dancer-choreographer from NYC, Jody Sperling is the Founder/Artistic Director of Time Lapse Dance. She has created more than 40 works including many expanding on the legacy of modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller (1862-1928). Considered the preeminent Fuller stylist, Sperling has reimagined the genre for the 21st century, deploying it in the context of contemporary performance forms for herself and her company of six women. She was nominated for a 2017 World Choreography Award for her work on the French feature film "The Dancer" (premiere 2016 Cannes Film Festival) which was inspired by Fuller's life.

Years of working in Fuller's idiom, which involves kinesphere-expanding costumes, has influenced Sperling's awareness of the body's relationship with the larger environment. In 2014, she participated in a polar science mission to the Arctic as the first, and to date only, choreographer-in-residence aboard a US Coast Guard icebreaker. During the expedition, she danced on sea ice and made the short dance film "Ice Floe." (winner of a Creative Climate Award). Following that experience, Sperling has developed programs transporting the icescape to the stage and seeking to enhance climate literacy. Her current projects. Current projects focus on using visual-kinetic narratives to connect choreography and climate science.

About The World Choreography Awards
The World Choreography Awards is in its 7th year and is the premier global award show celebrating and honoring the best in media choreography. The WCA recognizes choreographic achievement in Motion Picture, Music Video, Commercials, Television Episodic, Television Award Show/Special, Live Stage Performance, Television Reality Show/Competition, Digital Content and Digital Content Independent.

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