Bill T. Jones: Dancing To the Promised Land

Filmed by the BBC in 1991, this excellent documentary showcases the work and thought of choreographer Bill T. Jones. The soft-spoken but intense Jones offers insights into the background of his highly acclaimed dance theatre production Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was inspired by sources as wide-ranging as Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic novel, Da Vinci's famous painting, the speeches of Martin Luther King, and contemporary rap music. Jones, a gay black man, talks about the loss of his partner and companion to AIDS, and how the concept of faith--or more specifically a struggling towards faith--informs both his own thinking and supplies the major theme of his controversial Last Supper. Jones's small and diverse company of 12 dancers--black, white, Puerto Rican, Filipino, young, old, slim, and chunky; all incredible--are seen in both rehearsal and performance, exploring Jones' and their own ideas about race, gender, sexuality, and faith. Although modern dance is not always the easiest art to appreciate, general audiences will still take to this very nicely filmed tribute because Jones puts what the audience sees into context, explaining his artistic choices and his train of thought. Of course, the yellow label on the back of the video jacket reading "This Program Contains Nudity: Viewer Discretion Advised" will also help the program stay in constant circulation. And, while the nudity is full frontal male and female, it doesn't appear until the end of the program, by which time people will have already seen a fine piece of documentary filmmaking. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)