Dancefilmmaking.com wants to be the ‘Netflix of dance’
Nadav Heyman has big plans for small dance films. A dancer and filmmaker himself, he has a deep understanding of the disappointment felt after screening one’s latest project in a festival and then condemning that film to the endless ocean of YouTube obscurity. Heyman is the founder and executive director of dancefilmmaking.com, a site dedicated exclusively to showcasing and promoting dance films. He beat me to saying it – “we want to be the Netflix of dance films” – but his extraordinary team’s vision is so much larger than simply streaming dance films, big or small. They want to provide dance filmmakers a forever home for their creations, a currently unexplored niche that holds space for a creative product - a museum of dance film, if you will, that is dedicated to helping filmmakers secure funding and build audiences for their work.
The website separates their services into watch, learn, and submit, providing visitors with a searchable place to watch films that are lovingly curated with brief statements sharing “why we love this film” and “words from the filmmaker”. And, perhaps most importantly, all films are free to view at any time. The learn tab is currently under construction, but will soon house dance filmmaking master classes for aspiring artists who want to learn the basics about filmmaking for dance. University dance programs hoping to add film to their departmental offerings can find an accessible and cost-effective way to share the art of dance filmmaking with students.
And lastly, the submit tab delineates the basic artist agreement – for a very, very low fee per film, the work will be showcased on the website, on their YouTube channel, and social media, and can be eligible for exclusive partnerships and opportunities including gallery screenings, film commissions, and guest judging invitations from partnering dance film festivals – it’s an ever-expanding list of festivals including LA Dance Film Festival, the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema and Lisbon Screendance Festival.
So take notice dance filmmakers - they are adding films weekly and accept submissions on a rolling basis, so check them out as a home for your dance films. For teachers and dance film fans, dancefilmmaking.com is a rich trove of delights that are searchable by runtime, genre, region, and style, making the site a one-stop-shop in your search for unique videos to show your classes. If you represent an organization interested in partnership or in funding the initiative, contact them right away for a chat. This is a very exciting venture, and the Today in Dance podcast wishes them all the best and we hope to have updates about them very soon.
Meanwhile, go watch some dance and be inspired.
