At Wilmington's Cucalorus Festival, Dance-a-lorus is an enduring blend of film, movement

Wilmington's 27th annual Cucalorus Film Festival opens on Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Looking ahead to the grand finale of this year's Cucalorus, however, gets us to one of the festival's enduringly popular events: Dance-a-lorus. The blend of film and dance will take the main stage of Thalian Hall downtown at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14.

From out of the black hole that, for many, was last year, Dance-a-lorus resumes in earnest with seven live performances, collaborations between choreographers and filmmakers, each playing with and stretching the possibilities in each medium as they explore subjects ranging from the environment to love.

For years a kickoff event, this year Dance-a-lorus has been moved to the festival's final day.

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Linda Ann Webb is this year's Dance-a-lorus coordinator. Webb has presented work in the event every year since 2005, experiencing the festival's growing pains first hand, including the appointment of a New York-based liaison. The job was long done by Cucalorus director Dan Brawley in concert with Wilmington's Dance Cooperative, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching and promoting dance.

Webb said that 2021 marks the return — much like Cucalorus in general — to its homegrown sensibilities.

"The (Dance Cooperative) was in charge of curating (Dance-a-lorus) this year," Webb said. "And that was all going great."

But, Webb said, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and complicated schedules meant it fell to her to head the effort.

"I was like, 'Oh, OK, I'll do my best.' So I reached out to as many people as I could think of, that have participated in the past, or wanted to participate and never have. And we had this really great list of people. And then, we ended up with only out of like 20 people that I had, that were saying they were going to submit, maybe 11 submitted."

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Webb said the festival saw the need for COVID safety guidelines. A vaccine mandate was agreed upon, and proof of vaccination will be required for admission to festival events.

"It's been a really trying year in navigating all of that," she said. "I mean, it's hard enough to get everybody" in a normal year.

One result of that, Webb said, is that Dance-a-lorus is less diverse this year. Nevertheless, the choreographers at this year's festival have endeavored to be as inclusive as possible while bringing an adventurous spirit to what shows up on stage.

Lineup for Dance-a-orus 2021

'Event Horizon' — Choreographer Linda Ann Webb with filmmaker/editor Patrick Ogelvie; additional footage by Laurence Nadeau and Mike Webb; creative team members: Joel Vannfuller, Lily Nicole and narrator Rhonda Bellamy. Music by Arturo O'Farrill

Considering the enormous effort to glimpse an event horizon — the swirling matter around a galaxy's black hole some 53.49 million light-years from Earth — how do these remarkable images reflect on efforts to solve our climate crisis? Are we approaching our own ecological event horizon?

'Lullabye' — Film and dance by Mirla Criste set to the song "Jemima." Music and vocals by the Rev. Dr. Federico Agnir (1939-2018), lyrics by Mrs. Ruby Agnir.

"Lullabye" is the second installment in a dance theatre series that began with "LOFT" (Dance-a-lorus 2019), a memorial tribute to the dancemaker's father, who passed in July 2018.

'Vaguear Puru' — Choreography by Nancy Carson with digital imaging by Jeremy Roberts; music by Arvo Pärt; set by Ross Helton

"Vaguear Purus" takes its inspiration from the undulating, curving river system in the Amazon River basin and architectural elements to present an immersive experience engaging dancers, music and interactive media. The dancers perform on cylinders of differing heights while interacting with live projections.

'And Still, She Persists' — Choreography by Sue Meier with film by Molly Gumbert; creative team members Joy Allen, Mark Sorensen and Anne Brennan; music by Elizabeth Knight, Alma Deutscher and Alicia Keys.

"And Still, She Persists" is based on the art exhibition "She Persists" held at the Cameron Art Museum in late 2020 and early 2021. It focuses on the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the challenges still faced by women today.

'When Things Fall Apart' — Filmmaker and choreographer SheaRa Nichi, edited by Katrina Hargrave.

"When Things Fall Apart" starts a series created to speak to how much or little we really know about ourselves and the world. Why do we lock ourselves into one way of thinking for a false sense of security?

'Interconnection' — Choreography by Tracey Varga with film by Patrick Ogelvie; additional footage by Sam Shores; music by Marvin Gaye, John Lennon and Louis Armstrong; costume design by Stephanie Aman.

Three sections of film and dance with attention to pollution, hunger and homelessness on a global and local level. Positive solutions will be emphasized, highlighting the work of Cape Fear community nonprofit organizations tackling these critical issues.

'Again with the L Word' — Choreographers D'mitri Cápri and Tara Nobles with filmmaker Patrick Ogelvie.

Synopsis: A series of vignettes between a couple, mostly comical.

Contact StarNews arts and entertainment at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.

Want to Go?

What: Cucalorus Film Festival presents Dance-a-lorus

When: 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14

Where: Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington

Info: Tickets are $15, plus taxes and fees. Proof of vaccination is required.

Details: 910-632-2285 or Cucalorus.org.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: At Cucalorus, Dance-a-lorus is an enduring blend of film and movement