Tracing Movement Releases Dance Documentary

Tracing Movement, founded and led by choreographer Stuart Winter, has announced the release of Reboot: Dancing Through a Pandemic, a documentary film about dancers and the support projects offered by Tracing Movement to freelance performers in 2020/21.

The film, made by Film by Harris and Tracing Movement, will premiere on YouTube on Sunday 18th July at 7pm. Follow this link to watch. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTP0VU1Mh4jKKGzdQZHskw The film will remain online after the premiere.

Tracing Movement ran two Reboot projects at Jerwood Space, London - one in October 2020 and the second in May 2021. The projects offered free daily class for over 150 freelance professional dancers to help rebuild, train and maintain their skills following the extended break caused by the pandemic, assisting their return to performance condition in advance of theatres reopening.

Participants included principals and leading dancers from: The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, Hamilton, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, Frozen among many more West End and UK shows. Places were also made available for 2020 graduates from top theatre colleges including Laine Theatre Arts, Bird College and Performer's College whose final year of training was disrupted as a result of the pandemic. All classes were accompanied by live music from Stefano Ancora, and Stuart was assisted by Natasha Volley. In the documentary, film maker James Harris follows Stuart and the story of how and why these projects came about. Footage from classes, rehearsals and interviews with participants show how the pandemic has affected dancers, their work, their artistry and their lives.

The first Reboot was funded by two private donors and, following its success, the Jerwood Foundation provided funding for Reboot 2 when it became clear that the disruption of the pandemic was going to continue into 2021.

The documentary also follows the creation of two of Tracing Movement's short films which were made during the pandemic: Tracing Movement Together, which was created online during lockdown and featured over 100 dancers from 17 countries; and Rebound, which employed six of the dance artists who were part of the Reboot project. Rebound was made with regular collaborators Director of Photography Ben Thomas and Editor Greg Bernstein and, thanks to the generous support of Theatre Royal Stratford East, the film was shot on their stage while the theatre was dark. A third film Resilience, inspired by dancers preparing to return to performance and employing performers from Reboot 2, was shot at Studio Wayne McGregor and released online last month.

Stuart Winter said today, "Investment in dancers is crucial at the moment. Freelance performers don't have the safety net that the national companies provide. Reboot gave time for dancers to reconnect with their athleticism and artistry away from the pressures of auditions and performance. It is so important that the correct support and investment is given to artists to help them perform safely and securely throughout their careers. I hope that this documentary can continue to highlight the pressures and difficulties facing these elite artists. This is just a drop in the ocean in terms of what is needed both now and moving forward as theatres start to reopen. I am so grateful to all our supporters, the Jerwood Foundation, Jerwood Space and Theatre Royal Stratford East for enabling these crucial projects to happen."

Stuart Winter is a choreographer, dancer, director and educator. His performing career included West End productions of Chicago, An American in Paris, Mary Poppins, Chess, Pajama Game and Sunset Boulevard and he has been an associate to Christopher Wheeldon, Stephen Mear and Chrissie Cartwright.

Stuart has created nine dance films with Tracing Movement, working with collaborators Greg Bernstein (editor) and Ben Thomas (DOP), including the pas-de-trois Focal Point, Tracing Movement Together, Rebound and Resilience. Reboot: Dancing Through a Pandemic is the first Tracing Movement documentary.

Film by Harris is a venture by creative artist James Michael Harris. James's passion has always resided in capturing the truth; a fly-on-the-wall approach to tell the story of an event, be it social or artistic. The combination of James's training and career as a professional dancer and his cinematic vision culminates in a unique skill set, perspective and intention. Tracing Movement's 'Reboot: Dancing Through A Pandemic' provided an incredible opportunity to flex that collaboration: an artistic look behind the spotlight, through an unprecedented circumstance with a masterful creative at its centre.

Natasha Volley is a deaf dancer, choreographer and director. She has been Stuart Winter's associate since 2013 and has also assisted Mark Smith (Deaf Men Dancing) and Ashley Nottingham. As a dancer she has worked in theatre, film, tv and pop videos for choreographers including Stephen Mear, Drew McOnie and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille.