SKETCH FILMS: RED THREAD
WeAIghT
2-minute excerpt from WeAIghT - a SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread film by Jennifer Archibald
Archibald’s film examines the emotional impact of the Black Lives Matter movement during the recent protests in New York City. Featuring music composed by Philip Hamilton and a solo performance by dancer James Gilmer, a SKETCH alum and current company member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ms. Archibald is on faculty at Yale School of Drama and a winner of the Joffrey Ballet’s "Winning Works” commission.
“I wanted to find the purest of expression that one could find at the core of revolutionary and demanding protests,” said choreographer Jennifer Archibald. “It is a vulnerable image to witness. We must be emotional to understand emotions.”
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This film was shot in Brooklyn, NY. We acknowledge that this area was and still is the land of the Munsee Lenape and Canarsie people.
MEET THE TEAM
JENNIFER ARCHIBALD is the founder and Artistic Director of the Arch Dance Company and Program Director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives. She is a graduate of The Alvin Ailey School and the Maggie Flanigan Acting Conservatory where she studied the Meisner Technique. Archibald has choreographed for the Atlanta Ballet, Ailey II, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Kansas City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet Nashville, Grand Rapids Ballet, and worked commercially for Tommy Hilfiger, NIKE and MAC Cosmetics as well as chart-listed singers and actors. She was recently appointed the first female Resident Choreographer in Cincinnati Ballet’s 40-year history. For the 20/21 season new works for Cincinnati Ballet, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, Sacramento Ballet, Ballet Nashville, Axis Dance Company, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Austin, and Ballet West will be commissioned.
Instagram: @jarchdance
ANDREW CASHIN is a Brooklyn based Cinematographer/Director. Andrew Cashin spent the first 10 years of his early career working in the field of videography and photography. From world-renowned tech conglomerates to independent dance companies, Andrew has extensive experience working with a diverse range of clients within the commercial world.
Andrew graduated with an MFA in Cinematography from the Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in 2020 being well versed in an array of cinema cameras such as the Arri Alexa LF, XT, and Mini, Red Digital Cinema, Sony Cinema, and the line of Black Magic Cinema cameras. Please visit Andrew's website at www.cashinpro.org for up to date news on his upcoming projects.
Instagram: @andrew_cashin
JAMES GILMER trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School. After graduating, he performed with Texture Contemporary Ballet and joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2011. While dancing with the Cincinnati Ballet for six seasons, Mr. Gilmer was promoted to Soloist in 2015 and performed works by Victoria Morgan, Amy Seiwert, Septime Webre, Ohad Naharin, Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edwaard Liang, Jennifer Archibald, and George Balanchine to name a few. Mr. Gilmer was also a member of Amy Seiwert's Imagery, performing during the summer seasons since 2013, and ODC/dance, performing works by Brenda Way, KT Nelson, and Kate Weare. Mr. Gilmer joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2019.
Instagram: @j_gilmer
PHILIP HAMILTON is a contemporary vocalist on the international Jazz and World Music stages. He has performed or recorded with the Pat Metheny Group, Spyro Gyra, Donald Fagan, Gilberto Gil, Mike Stern and John Cage.
Philip Hamilton is also recognized as the leading contemporary composer of music for dance. The recipient of 2004 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for his Body of Work in the field of Composition for Dance.
He continues to nurture others through Montenegro Productions, his production company based in New York City and One Voice, his non-profit agency that presents collaborations that are multi-cultural and multi-disciplined.
SKETCH FILM : RED THREAD
Four Cities, Four Stories, One Shared Thread
In celebration the 10th anniversary of the SKETCH SERIES and in response to the changing art landscape due to COVID-19, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery produced four documentary dance films, entitled SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread.
Red Thread featured world premieres by SKETCH alumni, including Artistic Director Amy Seiwert, Artistic Fellow Ben Needham-Wood, Chicago-based choreographer Stephanie Martinez (SKETCH 9), and NYC-based choreographer Jennifer Archibald (SKETCH 8). Both Martinez and Archibald are winners of the Joffrey Ballet’s "Winning Works: Choreographers of Color” commissions.
