We are looking for a dancer to participate in an untitled experimental dance film that explores the struggle of spiritual and ancestral connection. This project rests upon a vast archive of African and Afro-diasporic cultural, spiritual, and philosophical notions.

(1) Identifies as Black / African Descent
(2) Age 20+
(3) Experience with improvisation and interpretive dance
(4) Dancer open to collaboration and creative exploration for this experimental art project
(5) Preference for trained dancers who have experience with video & photo shoots, but not required

AUDITION PROCESS:
(1) 1st Round: Video Submissions
(2) 2nd Round: Remote Live Callback OR preferably an In-Person Callback (in studio, NYC local area). Date TBA, subject to availability.

PROJECT DATES:
(1) In-Person Rehearsal plus some remote meeting(s) for creative workshopping around filmmaker and dancer’s availability.
(1) Shoot Day: Sunday, August 13, 2023

LOCATION:
Brooklyn, New York

Please submit video clip(s) of improvisational, interpretive, and/or contemporary dance that you feel best aligns with this project brief. You are welcome to record something new or share pre-existing clips that you already have. We ask for a minimum of one minute of video for our review and you may send more than one video if desired. Please include a brief cover letter with your submission and send them to .

FILMMAKER BIOS:

Director/Producer - Emir Fils-Aime
www.emirfilsaime.com

Emir Fils-Aime is an artist from Queens, New York. Informed by a multitude of experiences- from working in an ER to teaching middle schoolers how to debate- he weaves an intuitive approach into the storytelling process. His past contributions include serving as a Director of Photography on projects for Telfar, Mass Appeal, Hulu and serving as an additional Director of Photography on both the Oscar shortlisted film, Shut Up & Paint, along with the feature documentary, Two Gods- a New York Times Critic Pick that was awarded the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the 2020 New Orleans Film Festival. Having spent the greater part of his career thus far as a cinematographer, Emir is presently interested in exploring identity, agency, the body, and spirituality in his personal moving image work.


Producer - Seika Paradeis
www.seikaparadeis.com

Raised in New York City and trained as a pre-professional dancer with the school at American Ballet Theater as a National Training Scholar, McDowell Scholar, and Scunci Scholar, Seika found her joy in filmmaking and collaborating with interdisciplinary artists while completing her Bachelor of Arts at Hunter College (CUNY) studying Combined Media Studio Art. Seika has worked on staff at award-winning production companies like 1stAveMachine for commercials and branded content, also Ummah Chroma Creative Partners a start up Production Company and creative agency making work for Art Institutions like The Guggenheim & The Metropolitan Museum. In 2022, Seika was a recipient of the Women of Color Short Film Incubator Grant sponsored by NALIP & NETFLIX for ‘Sunflower Girl’ as one of the film’s producers. Her recent projects include clients such as EOS (Evolution of Smooth), the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sesame Street, and Google. As a film producer and former dancer, Seika is excited to bring to fruition a collaborative project that explores these different mediums, co-existing in practice together.