We are so pleased to announce that the latest collaborative project by Asylum Alumni has just finished filming! Ritual is an incredible collaboration of dance, poetry, and film, that integrates dance and poetry to explore the concept of ritual. Set to original poetry by Aaron Samuels – a reflection on his memories from Passover – the film showcases the similarities between physical rituals in dance and those in spiritual practice.
The film explores the idea of ritual, and showcases cinematographically the similarities between physical rituals in dance and those in spiritual practice. In Ritual, the combination of poetry and video approaches the topic from two angles. The visual aspects consider ritual abstractly, focusing on the patterns and repetitive movements of the dancers in the studio. In contrast, the poetry content draws from specifics – Aaron’s narratives of Passover rituals.
The project began as a collaboration between Stacey Menchel Kussell (filmmaker and arts journalist) and Aaron Samuels (poet and spoken word artist). Stacey took Aaron’s class at the Asylum Alumni Retreat in 2016, and was immediately drawn to working with him in some capacity. A third Asylum member, Carlos Metta (musician and sound designer) joined the team to create an original score and soundscape for the film.
Filming for Ritual was completed on January 22nd, 2017, and the film is currently in post-production with a scheduled release for early April in time for Passover 2017. Below are some images from the filming:
