***EARLY SUBMISSIONS DUE JUNE 23RD (early submissions will receive early notification on whether they are invited to attend the audition)

***ALL SUBMISSIONS DUE BY JUNE 29TH (these submissions will be notified by the morning of July 1st whether they will be invited for the audition 

THE PROJECT: Black Man in America is a 90-second dance film. Imagine six Black men seated at a long white table in a white room with six guns in front of them. Facing the camera head on, the men percussively and repeatedly draw six guns against each other, then towards themselves, and finally towards the audience, as they depict the psychological and social effects of state-sponsored violence on them. The soundtrack to the film will be excerpts from “Black Man in America” by Johnny Hobbes. *The cast and crew are all Black artists. We plan to distribute the film on social media and on Blavity, HuffPost Black Voices, and other digital media outlets representing young Black voices.

 

STYLE OF DANCE: Style is contemporary/modern/amplified human movement, which contemporary/modern/hip-hop/street dancers will excel at. Photos/videos of movement inspiration will be posted here soon.

 

THE ROLE: This opportunity is to audition to perform as one of the 5-6 main, black male dancers in the full 90-second film.

 

DANCERS: Athletic, black male adult (18+) dancers & actors with training in contemporary, modern, or hip hop/street styles are invited to audition for the “Black Man in America” dance film. Dancers/actors must be open to taking risks, speaking their truths, and exploring their own and others’ experiences as Black men in America.

 

THE AUDITION/WORKSHOP: The audition/workshop will be on Sunday, July 2nd from 6pm – 10pm (note: if you cannot attend the July 2nd audition and are still interested, please e-mail me with your materials and the reason why you cannot attend the audition). Dancers will be pre-screened for the audition (see below). The audition is an opportunity for black male dancers to connect with each other, tell their own stories through improvisation and set choreography, and explore their own movement styles. We will explore authenticity in movement and storytelling and our own processes for arriving at authenticity for ourselves. We will explore, through movement and storytelling, what it means to give love, receive love, to give/receive love in a state of fear/distrust, and to fear/distrust in a state of love.  Dancers will also be given the opportunity to be filmed as they improvise and will receive the footage after the audition via social media. If invited for the audition, the cost of attending the audition/workshop is $25 paid in cash once you enter the studio. All proceeds will go to paying the project’s videographer and covering space rental.

 

PAY: If selected, dancers will receive a $1,000-$1200 stipend at the conclusion of the film shoot (within one week of filming). Hourly, dancers will be paid $25/hour for rehearsals and $40/hour for the film shoot. Hours may be reduced slightly, but minimum pay is $1000 for the entire project. 

DATES: Rehearsals will take place on: 

Sunday, July 2nd: 8pm-10pm *Immediately following the audition, if time permits

Thursday, July 6th: 8pm – 10pm

Sunday, July 9th: 6pm-10pm

Thursday, July 13th: 8pm-10pm

Sunday, July 23rd: 6pm-10pm

Thursday, July 27th: 8pm – 10pm

Friday, July 28th: 7pm – 9pm (*Cast & Crew Dinner)

Sunday, July 30th: 6pm-10pm

Friday, August 4th: 6pm-10pm

Saturday, August 5th: 2pm – 6pm

Film shoot will tentatively take place on:

Sunday, August 6th: 9am – 9pm

NOTE: The film shoot day has not yet been confirmed. Because we want to have a few options for filming days, please ensure you are available the following dates:

Saturday, August, 12th: 9am - 9pm 

Sunday, August, 13th: 9am - 9pm

 

PRE-SCREENING & AUDITION: To inquire about participating in the audition, follow these steps:

1) Like the Facebook page “Black Man in America” at https://www.facebook.com/blackmaninamericadancefilm/ and post a video to your personal Facebook page in response to this prompt: Tell a personal story that represents what it means to you to be a Black man in America. Tell us when the story happened and what happened. Please use your camera phone (not a fancy camera) and post the raw footage of your video story (no editing). In the post, tag the page “Black Man in America” (our profile picture is the back of a black man), make the post public so that we can share it on our page, and use the hashtags #blackmaninamerica #bmia #blackmaninamericadancefilm. Also, if you choose to, you can tag a few friends and challenge them to post a story as well.

2) E-mail Justina Grayman at justina.kamiel@gmail.com with the title “BMIA Audition – Lead Dancer”

a. Confirm that you will be able to attend all dates listed above (rehearsal dates, dinner, and all tentative film shoot dates). In some instances, I may allow absences; please indicate what rehearsal date you are unable to attend if applicable. 

b. Include a reel OR 2 minute excerpt of prior contemporary/modern/hip hop dance performance. If any video is longer than 2 minutes, include a time interval of 2 minutes or less for me to watch. Include only one video.

c. Include a headshot, full body shot (with shirt off), and resume.

d. Confirm that you have posted your video story on your Facebook page (and that it is public) and have also tagged our page accurately (the tag should send you to: facebook.com/blackmaninamericadancefilm) and used the hashtags.

e. Write two sentences about why you would like to be considered for the project. That's it!

 

DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER/PRODUCER: Justina Grayman is a movement creator, dancer, and athlete with a background in contemporary/modern dance, gymnastics, and track and field. Most recently, she was a company member in STREB Extreme Action Company and performed in Drop at BAM with Kristin Sudeikis Dance. Justina aims to create raw, dynamic movement that allows us to explore/express our inner struggles, our contention with obstacles that seem to control us, and what is possible for us individually and collectively. 

 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Bryant Norman will be the director of photography/videographer. Find out about his work at www.bryantnorman.com

****EARLY SUBMISSIONS DUE JUNE 23RD (early submissions will receive early notification on whether they are invited to attend the audition)

***ALL SUBMISSIONS DUE BY JUNE 29TH (these submissions will be notified by the morning of July 1st whether they will be invited for the audition)

 

*******FREE UPCOMING IMPROVISATION WORKSHOPS********: Whether or not you are chosen to audition and whether or not you are chosen to dance in the film, all dancers and the NYC Black male dance community are invited to attend three free improvisation workshops (Sunday, July 9th; Sunday, July 23rd, and Sunday July 30th 6pm-7pm) for Black males, led by different Black male choreographers. We will be creating a community of storytelling, connection, and exploration. Like the Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/blackmaninamericadancefilm/ to keep up to date on our July workshop series.