Presenting plenty of music and movement (with no dialogue or narration), filmmaker Fanny Jean-Noël’s infectious film consists simply of dance routines shot in nearly 20 locales around the globe—in the U.S., Madagascar, India, Argentina, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, Morocco, Tanzania, Panama, Brazil, Tahiti, Indonesia, Ireland, and Republic of Georgia. Some are expressions of indigenous culture performed by individuals, such as a Native American tribal ritual (ironically shot on an urban roof), or a mountaintop dance by a Maori warrior, while others are elaborate exhibitions of national styles, complete with gorgeous costumes and complicated choreography. There are ostensibly impromptu but also obviously well-planned ensembles such as dances by street crowds, and comic interludes, including a routine by restaurant workers who provide their own music with utensils and food containers. Romantic duets in the snow are followed by Irish jigs in churches and pubs, and communal festivities in the Sahara—the last juxtaposed with gyrations on a neon-lit nightclub floor. Moments of poetic intimacy are combined with outpourings of public frenzy, all making the point that dance is as much a universal language as music—a form of expression common to all of humanity (the implication, of course, being that it can also help bridge differences among peoples). Move! is entertaining, inspiring, and even a bit profound. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)
Move! Dance Your Life
(2017) 74 min. DVD: $39: public libraries; $79: high schools; $150: colleges & universities. DRA. Green Planet Films. PPR. Volume 34, Issue 3
Move! Dance Your Life
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