ALL ARTS’ “Past, Present, Future” Dance Film Festival Debuts Films by Jack Ferver and Omari Wiles
ALL ARTS, the free New York Emmy-winning multimedia streaming platform dedicated to the arts, presents a documentary from ballroom legend Omari Wiles and filmmaker Jabari Taylor as part of its second dance film festival “Past, Present, Future “this month.
Wiles’ “Our Name Our Legacy” appears alongside the debut film of renowned choreographer and artist Jack Ferver and collaborator Jeremy Jacob, “Nowhere Apparent,” both available to watch for free on ALL ARTS’ nationwide streaming app and website beginning March 7.
In “Our Name Our Legacy,” Wiles, the founding father of The Royal House of Nina Oricci, takes center stage tracing his singular artistic journey, from his beginnings in West African dance to his becoming one of the leading lights of today’s ballroom and contemporary dance scenes. Featuring interviews with leading members of The Royal House of Nina Oricci and behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage, the documentary created by Wiles and Taylor explores the influence of family traditions and legacy in ballroom culture and dance.
In “Nowhere Apparent,” Ferver (they/them), the New York-based writer, choreographer and director, poetically explores their grief over the generation of choreographers and dancers lost to the AIDS epidemic. Through a series of theatrical vignettes interspersed with newly shot performance footage, Ferver and filmmaker Jeremy Jacob interrogate themes of queer isolation and feelings of loss and abandonment in the wake of a failed response to the AIDS crisis.
“For years, Jack Ferver and Omari Wiles have been challenging expectations of what dance can be,” ALL ARTS Senior Artistic Director James King said. “We are delighted to shine a spotlight on their journeys and the myriad influences that continue to shape their practice. We hope to have given them a platform to expand their artistry even further.”
ALL ARTS’ “Past, Present, Future” initiative, which commissions artists to create films that capture what the past, present and future mean to them in their work, launched its inaugural festival in May 2021 with choreographers Kyle Abraham and Pam Tanowitz and the disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light.
Both films are streaming free on demand as part of this year’s “Past, Present, Future”dance film festival on the ALL ARTS app and AllArts.org/PastPresentFuture.
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About ALL ARTS
ALL ARTS is breaking new ground as the premier destination for inspiration, creativity and art of all forms. This New York Emmy-winning arts and culture hub is created by The WNET Group, the community-supported home of New York’s PBS stations. With the aim of being accessible to viewers everywhere, ALL ARTS’ Webby-nominated programming – from digital shorts to feature films – is available online nationwide through AllArts.org, the free ALL ARTS app on all major streaming platforms and @AllArtsTV on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. New York area TV viewers can also watch the 24/7 broadcast channel. For all the ways to watch, visit AllArts.org/Everywhere.
