SKETCH FILMS: RED THREAD
What the Body Holds
premiered 1/15/2021
The following excerpt contains material related to domestic violence and may be difficult for some viewers.
“What the Body Holds” Created for SKETCH FILMS: Red Thread - A Project by Amy Seiwert's Imagery. Story by Ben Needham-Wood & Matthew McKee.
“It’s raw. Vulnerable. What the Body Holds is mighty”. - read the full review by Heather Desaulniers
Amy Seiwert’s Imagery for the fourth and final film of our SKETCH FILMS : Red Thread documentary dance film project. The world premiere, What the Body Holds is a dance film created by Imagery Artistic Fellow Ben Needham-Wood in collaboration with filmmaker Matthew McKee and will feature dancer Jenna Marie.
Needham-Wood’s new film is inspired by the work of Svetlana (Lana) Pivchik, an advocate for domestic violence survivors. Pivchik has worked as an advocate supporting survivors of domestic violence for 15 years, and currently serves as an in-custody case manager for the Survivor Restoration Program in San Francisco.
The evening will include an exclusive conversation with the artists. Following the premiere of the dance film is an interactive Q&A.
The film will be set to an original score composed by Kishi Bashi and Emily Hope Price.
***
This film was shot in San Francisco, CA. We acknowledge that this area was and still is the land of the Ramaytush, Ohlone, and Muwekma people
***
The film premiered on Friday, January 15, 5:00 PM (PDT) . The event included a conversation with the artists and interactive Q&A.
MEET THE TEAM
BEN NEEDHAM-WOOD has enjoyed a successful performance career including many years as a Company Artist for Louisville Ballet. He has also performed as a guest artist with several companies across the United States including: SFDanceworks (CA), Appalachian Ballet Company (TN), Dance China New York (NY), Dayton Ballet (OH), Fort Wayne Ballet (IN), and Bruce Wood Dance Project (TX), among others. One of his favorite part-time engagements has been with Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, a contemporary ballet company based in San Francisco, CA. There Ben has had the opportunity to perform original works by innovative choreographers such as Julia Adams, Marc Brew, Adam Hougland, Matthew Neenan, Gina Patterson, and, of course, Amy Seiwert.
After 12 years on the professional stage, Ben decided to retire from full-time performance at the end of the 2019-2020 season. He currently serves as Imagery’s Artistic Fellow while working as a freelance choreographer and dance educator.
MATTHEW MCKEE is an award winning video creative who has honed his craft over the last 13 years working in sports, music, dance, documentary, advertising… pretty much anything that piques his interest. A curious spirit with a passion for learning, he is drawn to projects that are driven by imaginative hearts and purposeful collaboration. In his own words, his goal is always to “make cool things with fun people.”
JENNA MARIE was born in Philadelphia, PA she began her dance training at Olga Kresin's Ballet School and later attended The Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Jenna has participated in a number of dance competitions including The Youth America Grand Prix, where she was featured in the documentary “First Position.” As a scholarship student at The Ailey School, Marie became a member of Ailey II under the direction of Sylvia Waters. Following Ailey II, Jenna was a member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Nai Ni Chen Dance Company, Momix, The Metropolitan Opera and Ballet Hispanico. She Has been a guest artist with The black Iris Project and was a founding member of Zest Collective. Jenna Marie has worked for artists such as Beyoncé, Romeo Santos, Nile Rodgers, and Betsey Johnson. Currently, Jenna is working with Post:Ballet and Robert Moses’ Kin in the Bay Area.
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.
Red Threads’ original scores will be composed by Kishi Bashi and Emily Hope Price and Philip Hamilton.